The Lightning Stones
by Ariene
Summary: It's 3 years after SOTT. Will has to get something back for The High Magic and needs Jane's help. They meet Bran who seems to be remembering too much... *****FINISHED*****
1. The Boy From Before

Disclaimer:  All characters and plot elements from The Dark is Rising Sequence belong to Susan Cooper.  All the rest is mine.

1. The Boy From Before

"Excuse me.  Do I know you?" said Jane.  

Her stomach lurched for the second time in a minute as the boy turned his head.  She clutched the bookshelf next to her.  The brown hair with blue-grey eyes set in a round face were so familiar and yet completely unknown.  For an instant Jane was sure she saw surprise cross the boy's face, but it was immediately replaced by an impassive look.

"I'm sorry, did you mean me?" he said.  He shut the book he'd been looking at – 'Welsh Legends' she saw.

"Er… yes.  I'm sure we've met before."  Jane tried to keep her voice steady.  Her head was whirling as she desperately tried to catch at the images rushing through her mind.

"Well this is the first time I've been here," he said blankly.  "Perhaps you're thinking of someone else."

"I suppose I must be.  Sorry,"  she said still staring at the boy.  Hastily she turned away and began to walk towards the book shop door.  As she reached the entrance she stopped again and looked back.  The boy's eyes were still on her and she was surprised to see a look that was half smile and half regret sweep those strange-familiar features before he opened the book he'd been reading again, and other people blocked her view.

She blinked as she walked out into the August sunshine and, finding a bench in the square, she sat down feeling dazed.  The boy was about her age, 15 or so, growing tall, but still with boyish features that she couldn't get out of her head.  If only she could think clearly.  It was like waking up and not being able to stop a vivid dream from slipping away. 

"Hey Jane!" a voice called from across the square.  It was her friend Becky Williams; they were meeting up for coffee.  She stood up shaking her head, trying to shake off the feeling, and walked over to meet Becky.

* * *

Will entered the bookshop, which was cool and dim after the glare of the sunshine outside.  He asked for the section on myths and legends and was directed to some shelves near the back of the shop.  He scanned the books to find it.  He knew there wasn't much time.  As he reached down the book on Welsh Legends he felt his senses jump.  He'd come all this way to a strange city just for this moment.  Would she remember him?

Without looking, he knew she was there now, round the other side of the book shelf.  She would see him in a few seconds.

"Excuse me.  Do I know you?"

Will looked up from the book.  For a moment he was surprised to see how pretty she had become, but he tried to look impassive and said, "I'm sorry, did you mean me?"

He shut the book, deliberately allowing her to see the title.

"Er… yes.  I'm sure we've met before."  Her voice sounded shaky and Will almost smiled, feeling the confusion of her mind, but kept his expression composed.

"Well this is the first time I've been here," he said truthfully.  "Perhaps you're thinking of someone else."  He saw the mixture of surprise and doubt in her bright blue eyes.  Her blonde hair was longer than three years ago and she wore it loose instead of in a pony-tail.

"I suppose I must be.  Sorry."

As she turned and walked away, Will longed to shout after her, to tell her the truth, but he knew that must wait a little longer.  Still, he was pleased to know the memory of past events remained, though buried, within her mind.  She glanced back at him from the shop doorway and he held her gaze for a second before opening the book he was holding and looking away.

For a minute after she had gone, Will could still sense the churning of her emotions as he stared unseeing at the pages of the book.  He wanted to put a word of calm into her mind, but that would stop the memories from re-surfacing and make his task much harder.  After another minute, he turned to a page in the book with a photograph of a lake and touched it with all five fingers of his right hand.  He shut the book, put it back and left the shop.

*  *  * 

An hour later, having said goodbye to Becky, Jane headed for the railway station to get her train home.  It was nearly closing time, although the city streets were still busy and the sun still warm.  She passed the entrance to the square and paused, seeing the bookshop in the far corner.  She felt much calmer now and a little foolish for the mistake she'd made, as she had convinced herself it had been.  But curiosity overcame her and she turned left into the square and crossed to the bookshop.  

There were only one or two people left inside and Jane went straight to the shelf where she'd seen the boy earlier that afternoon.  The imprint of the book's cover was still in her mind, a Celtic stone symbol of a cross surrounded by a circle on a dark background.  Looking up, she saw the book 'Welsh Legends' next to another entitled 'In Search of the Grail'.  For a few seconds, it seemed for no reason, she felt her heart pounding as hesitantly she reached down the book the boy had been reading.

She looked at the contents page – lots of names in Welsh she wasn't sure how to pronounce.  She flicked through some pages and began to feel it had been a stupid idea to come back.  Near the end were some pages of photographs, various views of standing stones, valleys and churches.  A picture of a small weed-covered lake caught her eye and she looked at the name underneath: 'Llyn Barfog, where King Arthur cast a monster out of the lake'.

"The Bearded Lake" Jane said aloud with a smile.  She stopped and put her hand over her mouth in surprise. _'How did I know that?' _she thought and turned her head to the doorway of the shop.  The boy from before was standing there smiling, hands in pockets, brown hair slightly flopping down over his forehead.  Her stomach lurched for the third time that day.

"Will" she said almost in a whisper.  

The world seemed to whirl upside-down, her body felt unreal, she wasn't sure if she had dropped the book.  Images flashed into her mind – a swaying, appalling nightmare of a monster, a beautiful delicate ancient lady, a dazzling rose-coloured ring, then strange lovely singing with an echoing harmony.  The music seemed to calm the world down; it stopped whirling about and she found herself half lying on the carpet of the bookshop, breathing very quickly, sweat on her brow, with Will kneeling next to her, holding her up.

"It's alright Jane" he said.  "You're OK now."

A shop assistant dashed up but Will said "My friend's had a bit of a shock.  Is there somewhere she could sit down?"

The assistant showed them to some chairs in the corner.  They sat for a while in silence, Jane trying to catch her breath, Will acutely aware of the turmoil in her mind.  After shock, the main emotion Jane felt was embarrassment at having fainted in public.

"I'm sorry to do that to you," said Will, "but there's not a lot of time and I had to see how much you would remember."

Jane closed her eyes but quickly opened them again.

"I'm not sure I want to remember it all," she said with a slight shudder.  "That monster – was it real?"

"Ah… it was real at the time," Will said softly, "and it served its purpose."

Jane stared at him.  She knew now that this was Will Stanton, last born of the Old Ones, and she and her brothers had helped him and the Circle of the Light to finally defeat the Dark.  But why was he here?

Will knew the question was in her mind, but answered it in a different way.

"I'm staying at a bed and breakfast on the other side of the city with my brother Paul.  He's touring with the orchestra and Mum thought it would be good for me to get away for a few days with him.  Look, can we get out of here.  The shop's closing and you've got a train to catch."

"How…" began Jane, but Will just smiled and stood up.  Jane shook her head and followed him.

They walked quickly towards the railway station.  There were five minutes before Jane's train left.

"Can you meet me tomorrow morning about 10 in the square?" Will asked as they approached the ticket barrier.  "I need your help, but I can explain everything then."

"Well I'm not sure I can get here that early" said Jane, thinking anxiously of her mother's questions.  Simon and Barney were both away visiting friends and her mother expected her to help around the house in the morning.

"It'll be alright," said Will confidently, "just take things as they come."

Jane remembered how things somehow always 'arranged' themselves very conveniently when an Old One was around.

"There's something I need you to bring tomorrow.  It's very important.  Can you remember someone giving you a little blue-green stone when we were in Wales?"  He seemed very serious now.  Jane thought hard.  The memories were there but they seemed so much like a dream that it was difficult to recall exact details.

"It's like this one" said Will, bringing out a gold ring from his pocket.  Set in the top of it was a smooth stone, iridescent and the colour of the shifting sea.

"How lovely!" exclaimed Jane, and at once she saw in her mind an image of a pale-skinned boy with dark glasses and white hair handing her such a stone.  

"Yes, I know where it is.  I put it in a box where I keep special things.  Funny, I haven't ever thought about it since.  But I hope I can find it," she said suddenly uncertain.  "We only moved here a few months ago and some things haven't even been unpacked yet."

"Just keep the picture in your mind and you'll find it" said Will.  Suddenly he smiled at her and all seriousness fell away.  "You'd better get your train.  See you tomorrow then."

"Yes," she said smiling back, "see you."  She walked through the barrier towards the platform and when she looked back Will had gone.


	2. The Mirror

Disclaimer:  All characters and plot elements from The Dark is Rising Sequence belong to Susan Cooper.  The rest is mine.

2.  The Mirror

Jane slept very fitfully. She'd been up late searching for the stone Will wanted.  She hadn't been able to find her box of treasures and had to give up when her mother insisted she go to bed.  Her dreams were filled with the long-suppressed memories that had suddenly been re-awoken.  But they were so mixed up together, they seemed to merge into nightmares and she woke up in a cold sweat.

She let out a long breath, releasing the tension in her face and tried to relax.  She closed her eyes and thought of Will.  His smile always surprised her, how it transformed his rather serious features into a face shining with light.  And quickly she fell into a calm, deep sleep.

*  *  *

Will woke with a start, wondering for a moment where he was.  He saw his brother Paul in the bed across the room and relaxed.  But somehow his mind was still full of a panic that wasn't his.

_'Jane'_ he thought.  _'Don't worry, you'll find it,'_  and he drew the gold ring out from under his pillow.  The room was dark, but he could see the stone shimmering as if it had an inner light of its own.

He pictured Jane's face, full of concern and just whispered softly "Remember".  Then he slipped the ring back beneath his pillow, lay down and slept.

* * *

The sun streamed through the curtains and Jane woke feeling more rested than she had in weeks.  She lay still for a minute, enjoying the feeling of refreshment, then suddenly jumped out of bed and ran downstairs.  She opened the cupboard under the stairs and moved several large boxes, till she came to a small one tucked at the back.  She tore off the brown packing tape and there was the old wooden writing box in which she kept her treasures.

She raced back upstairs with it, sat on her bed and opened the lid.  In a small compartment that might once have held an ink bottle, was a tiny tissue paper bundle.  She unfolded the tissue and there shining up at her was the beautiful stone flecked with blue and green.

***

"I found it" said Jane brightly, as she hurried towards Will who was sitting on a bench beneath a tree in the square.  The sun was already warm, it was going to be a scorching day.

"Good" said Will.  "Everything OK at home?"

"Yes, Mum's got an agent coming to see her pictures this morning, so she was happy for me to be out of the way."

Will smiled.  "Have you been to the castle yet?"

"No, I hadn't really thought about going."

"Come on, we can see it together."

Shrugging, Jane led the way out of the square and along the busy high street.  The castle, which had been there for centuries before the city, sat as an odd contrast next to the main shopping street.  It was set in large grounds surrounded by towering stone walls that had been restored in Victorian times.

They paid the entrance fee and walked towards the Keep.  Will stopped, trying to let his senses guide him to where they should go.

"What is it?" asked Jane, but Will didn't reply.  He turned left through an archway in another building and they came out into the gardens.  There were lawns and hedges and topiary yew bushes clipped into peacock shapes.  Will kept walking down the gravel pathway.

"Where are we going?" asked Jane, almost trotting to keep up, slightly irritated by Will's lack of communication.

At the end of the path, they went through another archway, this time formed by a green beech hedge.  They were now in a little knot garden with low box hedges and lavender in full flower.  Bees buzzed busily from flower to flower and Jane looked around trying to trace the pattern the hedges made.  Will walked on, his senses buzzing as much as the bees so he was only half aware of where Jane was.  He stopped on the far side of the garden by a high stone wall, where there seemed to be another little arch.

"Over here" he called to Jane.  She ambled up, feeling hot and annoyed at him.  When she got closer she realised the archway was actually a mirror reflecting back the intricate arrangement of box and lavender, so that it looked like there was another garden beyond where they stood.

Will sat down on the grass.  The wall gave some shade, so Jane sat down and clasped her hands round her knees.  She didn't try to cover her annoyance.

"I'm sorry," said Will, fully aware now of her feelings.  "I had to make sure we could get through."

Jane was curious to know what he meant but stubbornly chose not to ask.

"Can I have your stone now?" he said, trying to not to respond to her unspoken hostility.  "Please?"

A little reluctantly, Jane dug the stone out of her trouser pocket and handed it over.  At the same time Will got the ring out of his pocket too.  The stones shone together in the sunlight, a vivid blue-green.

"Here," Will said.  "Try it on" and he handed her the ring.

"Oh" said Jane in surprise.  She sat up and slipped the ring on the index finger of her right hand.  It fitted perfectly.  Around the stone and holding it in place were unusual twists of fine gold wire, and the yellow gold of the ring itself was engraved in a Celtic design.  She held out her hand, admiring the ring on her finger.

"It's very beautiful," she said.

"It was given to me in the Lost Land and belonged to a king," Will said softly.  He had a far-away look in his eyes as he remembered events that seemed a thousand years ago.  "I made it for you."

"_You_ made it?  But how?"

Will laughed.  "My Dad's a jeweller, remember.  I help in the shop sometimes in the holidays and he's been teaching me a bit."

"But why do you need my stone?"

"For this." 

From his other pocket he took out a fine gold chain with a sort of pendant attached made of gold wire.   "They're Lightning Stones; they have special properties – the power to clarify thoughts and certain powers of protection.  We'll need them to get where we're going." 

Opening the pendant on an invisible hinge, Will placed the stone inside and closed it up.  It fitted exactly, the wire holding the stone firmly in a golden cage.  Jane watched him totally absorbed.  He held up the chain so that the pendant spun and glinted in the light.

"Will, are you going to tell me why you've come back?" 

"Yes, I suppose it's about time," he said, but suddenly he looked behind him;  there was someone standing in the archway.  An older teenage boy, probably 17 or 18 was watching them and had seen the pendant.

"That's a pretty thing – I know someone who'd like that," the boy said advancing rapidly towards them.

"Run!" Will called to Jane, and they leapt up, heading for the archway.

"No you don't" the boy shouted and dodged back to the only exit from the garden.  Will and Jane both stopped.  The boy grinned menacingly.

"I wish I didn't have to do this," sighed Will, and he stretched out his right arm with his five fingers spread wide pointing at the youth.  Jane heard him whisper a word she couldn't understand and the boy at once stood frozen, face still grinning.

"But I thought the Dark had gone," begun Jane.

"Oh, he's not from the Dark," said Will.  "You're right, the Dark has no power now, he's just a human, one driven by his own greed and selfishness.  I can't change what he is, but I can distract him from what he was doing."

He turned to her.  "I'm sorry, the explanation will have to wait a bit, we have to get out of here before anyone else comes."

He took the chain and put it round his neck, tucking the pendant beneath his T-shirt.  Then he pointed again at the youth, who immediately came to life but turned round and walked straight out of the garden.  A few moments later they heard him calling after a friend and his footsteps quickly faded away.

"Let's go" said Will, but instead of heading for the archway, he walked back to the mirror.

"Will, where are you going?" called Jane, puzzled.

"Over here"

"But how can we get out of here, there's no door in this wall" she said, arriving by the mirror.  She stared at Will, then at her own reflection, hair untidy, face bewildered.

"The mirror is a doorway" said Will.  Jane looked doubtful.

"Look, you've got to trust me in this, like you always trusted your Great Uncle Merry.   Have you still got the ring on?  Good, then just hold my hand and don't let go."

He took her half-offered hand and they moved closer to the mirror.  Will could feel Jane's reluctance, but knew they had to go right now, so gripped her hand more tightly.  He also knew that if she lost touch with him, she could be caught in a place out of time, where it would be hard to find her again.  

He touched the mirror with his other hand, saying words in the language of the Old Ones and walked through the glass.  Jane suddenly felt her legs go very shaky but, taking a deep breath, she walked forwards.

As she passed through the glass, she felt an icy coldness envelop her body.  There was a rushing noise in her ears and a mistiness all around her.  Then it was gone and they were standing by a small clump of trees on a green hillside with only the sound of a skylark filling the air. editing


	3. Bran

Disclaimer:  All characters and plot elements from The Dark Is Rising sequence belong to Susan Cooper.  The rest is mine.

3.  Bran

"Where are we? It seems vaguely familiar," said Jane, looking around at the hills and green fields.

"Wales.  Near my Uncle David's farm."

"What?  How could we possibly…" but she stopped and sighed, realising the question was pointless.  "Look Will, I'm not going anywhere else until you tell me what's going on and why we're here."

"OK, OK.  It's a simple thing really, but I need your help.  When I first came here a few years ago, my quest was to find the golden harp and wake The Sleepers by the Pleasant Lake.  But as soon as the task was accomplished, the harp was thrown into the lake by someone controlled by the Dark.  The rulers of the High Magic now require it to be returned to them.  Because of the enchantments surrounding the harp to keep it safe, it must be retrieved by two together – an Old One and an ordinary human.  It was The Lady's request that you should help me."

"The Lady" said Jane softly, a picture forming in her head of the beautiful, fragile figure she had seen just twice before.  It was difficult to hold the dream-like image in her mind, but she could see clearly the bright blue eyes and the dazzling glow of the rose-coloured ring she wore.  "Do you see her often?"

"Very little now," said Will, wishing it were more frequent.  "The Masters of the High Magic dwell in a peaceful land and have few reasons to leave that realm.  But I have seen Merriman, and The Lady came with him last time to speak about you."  He remembered that last reunion warmly. 

Jane looked thoughtfully at him.  "Will, I've been wondering about something else, something from before.  I remember saying goodbye to Gumerry for the last time and he made us forget everything, but I'm sure you were with us.  So why didn't I remember you when I saw you yesterday?"

"Ah…well…after your Great Uncle had gone away, he asked me to keep a check on you and your brothers.  Nothing intrusive, just making sure you were all OK for a while.  But I found you were all having nightmares, especially Barney, about the things that you'd been through.  Merriman thought it best that I put a deeper block on your memories, which meant forgetting about me as well.  All you would remember were some nice holidays in Cornwall and Wales but not who you met there."

Jane struggled to recall events from that time.  "Whatever you did, it really worked."

"Memory spells are very powerful and not easily broken.  That's why you got such a shock yesterday and why things are still so confused for you.  I tried to do it gently, but there really was no other way."

She still looked very uncertain, but didn't say anything else.

Will smiled and said,  "Don't worry too much about it, Jane.  Come on, we've got to get up to the lake."

They went down the hill a little way, to a gate which led on to the road.  From there the way sloped gently upwards and they could see it winding ahead to the top of the ridge.

"The lake's on the other side of this hill," said Will.  "Not far now."

As they walked on, they could hear the roar of an engine in the distance and suddenly saw a van coming down the road in front of them.

"It's Mr Davies, Bran's Dad," said Will.  "Please, just follow my lead."

The car slowed as it approached them and came to a stop.  A man in his forties leaned out of the window.

"Well, I do believe it's Will Stanton.  Come to visit us again?"

"Yes," said Will brightly, despite the intense concentration of his mind to turn Owen Davies's attention away from any awkward questions.  "But we're not staying, just passing through really.  This is my friend Jane Drew.  How's Bran?"

"Oh, he's fine, though he gets restless.  I don't think he enjoys life here like he used to.  It's too quiet, no excitement for him.  He'll be glad to see you, I'm sure.  He's out with John Rowlands just now, but I'll tell him you're here as soon as they get back."

"I don't know if we'll have time to see him" said Will apologetically, "you see Jane's got to get back to her parents."

"Have you come far?" Mr Davies asked Jane.

"Er, yes, quite a long way" she said.  "And my mother will worry if I'm late," she added.

"Well, there's a shame," said Mr Davies.  "Anyway, I must be getting on now.  Nice to see you again Will.  Goodbye."  He drove off down the road.

As Will turned to continue up the hill, he caught a sense of confusion from Jane's mind.  He looked at her, puzzled.

"What's the matter?"

"Will, who is Bran?  I just can't…somehow… picture him at all."

Will laughed.  "He's the one who gave you the stone.  Just touch the ring and you'll see."  

With a slightly sceptical look, she touched the cool stone held captive by the gold of the ring.  In the same instant the image of the pale boy came back into her mind and it was like opening a curtain on a dark room - she suddenly knew again everything she had previously learnt about Bran.  He was the Pendragon, the son and heir of Arthur, but after the final battle against the Dark, he had given it all up to return to this time and live a mortal life.

They walked on in silence up the road, Jane pondering her memories and Will planning what to do next.

At last they reached the lake, surrounded by hills on all sides.  Jane was struck by the vastness of it all – the towering hills, the fathomless depths of the lake.  She felt for a moment totally caught up in the wild beauty of the place.  

_ 'No wonder The Sleepers chose this place to rest'_ she thought.

"Yes" sighed Will, as if replying to her.  Jane turned to stare at him, but he hadn't seemed to notice anything wrong and was gazing pensively out over the shifting, shimmering waters.

They went down the track from the road to the edge of the lake and walked along a little way.  The hills rose above them, exuding a sense of power all their own.

"OK," said Will "this will do.  Now I'm going to draw a circle of concealment around us, so no-one can see what we're doing.  As long as we're inside, there'll be no problem."

He pointed the index finger of his right hand at the ground and walked round in a circle with himself and Jane inside.  When it was complete, Jane noticed a shimmering around them, like a heat haze.  She didn't feel frightened, but curiosity and excitement were mounting within her.  They both faced the lake, Will moving behind Jane.

"Now when I hold out my hand, you must stretch out your right arm as well, and place your hand over mine, the one with the ring on.  When I've said the words of command we must keep our hands outstretched together until the harp comes to us."

Jane could feel Will close to her, as he pointed his five fingers towards the lake.  She rested her hand on his and felt a buzz of energy as they touched.  She wasn't sure if it came from Will or the ring, or perhaps both.

"Relax Jane" whispered Will, "just look to the lake, it won't take long."

Jane took a deep breath and let it out.  She looked into the grey-blue rippling water.  At her back she heard Will begin to chant quietly in a strange language and her hand tingled slightly.  She felt privileged to be part of this magic and wanted to savour every moment.  The chanting grew louder till it seemed to fill her head and her whole arm was buzzing.  Suddenly another voice cut through the sounds and into her mind.

"Will!  Jane!"

Will instantly stopped, dropped his hand and spun round to see who was coming.  It was Bran.

"Say nothing about why we're here" Will hissed urgently to Jane.  She could see a look of shock and confusion on Will's face.

As Bran came hurtling down the path towards them, Will struggled to regain his composure.  His mind was racing, trying to understand what had gone wrong and how Bran could have seen them.

"Will," panted Bran as he reached them, "I'm so glad I didn't miss you.  We met Dad on the road.  He said you were here but couldn't stay long, so I came straight after you.  How are you then?  What are you doing here?  Did you see something on the lake?"

"What?" said Will.

"You were pointing at something out on the lake.  Was it a bird?"

"I don't know, we couldn't really see it," said Will, as truthfully as he could.  "Anyway Bran, how are you?"

Will, recovering from the shock, now had all his senses as an Old One alert, but he could read nothing from Bran's mind, which was not what he had expected.  Unwittingly, his expression betrayed his feelings and Bran asked:

"Are you alright, Will?  You looked very puzzled."

"Er…yes, I'm fine.  I was just wondering…can we go down to your cottage for a sandwich Bran?  It's nearly lunchtime and we forgot to bring anything to eat."

Bran looked at him strangely.  "Yes, I suppose it's alright."

"But Will," said Jane "Shouldn't we be getting back?"

"It's OK, we've got time" said Will.  But suddenly in Jane's head she also heard Will say _'Something's not right.  I've got to find out what's going on with Bran.'_

"Well Jenny, now it's your turn to look puzzled," said Bran wryly.  "Have I interrupted something?"  They both stared at Bran who laughed.  "You two were standing very close just now."

"Oh, no, I see what you mean," said Will now laughing too.  "No, we're just sight-seeing.  Come on, let's head back to your place."

They were hot and thirsty by the time they reached the cottage.  They all went into the kitchen, but it was different to how Will remembered it.  There were floral curtains at the window, blue and white china arranged on the dresser and a general air of neatness that seemed odd in an all-male household.

Bran was getting out bread and plates.  "Is ham and cheese OK?  There's some lemonade in that cupboard by you Jane."

"Is your Dad coming back for lunch?" asked Will.

"No, he's off up to the top fields to check the sheep.  And Megan will be at work until four."

"Who's Megan?" asked Jane.

"My step-mother.  Didn't you know, Dad got married last year.  She's really nice and I'm glad Dad's got someone at last. Won't be so bad when I go."  Bran finished making the sandwiches and put the plate on the table.

"Where are you going?" asked Jane.

"Well I don't know yet, but I just want to get out of this place."  He sat down and took a bite from his sandwich.  "School is pretty bad, I still get teased a lot and I can't say I've got any close friends.  Sometimes I just feel I don't belong.  But it's so good to see you two.  You know I've had some funny dreams lately Will – you and me sort of going on weird adventures."

Will, eating a sandwich, looked at Jane.  Without speaking, she heard him say into her mind _'Let him see the ring.'_

Jane's eyes widened, but she remained composed.  She wasn't sure what was going on, but she could feel the excitement welling in her, like before with the Grail and the Greenwitch.  She reached over to offer the plate to Bran, deliberately showing the ring on her index finger.

"Another sandwich Bran?"

"Thanks" said Bran.  Then: "Hey Jenny, where did you get that ring.  That stone, it's…it's just like the one I see in my dream."  He was staring at her.

"I gave her the ring," said Will.  "It was my stone, brought back from another land…What happens in your dreams?"  His voice had the serious resonance not of a boy but of the Old One that he was.

Bran's eyes moved from Jane to Will with a look of incomprehension.

"Well, it's…I don't know how to describe it.  It's like we're fighting a battle.  There's someone in black chasing us on a horse.  And a sort of glowing sword.  And a tall man with white hair.  And…and my father."  He stopped.

"Your father?" asked Will carefully.

"Well, not my Da, not Owen Davies.  He told me what happened – that he's not my real father and how my mother left me here as a baby.  But in my dreams I see a man and it just feels like he's my father.  Sometimes he's saying goodbye and other times he's beckoning to me, smiling and asking me to come.  I know it sounds a bit mad, but sometimes it's only my dreams that keep me going."

Bran got up from the table and turned away, looking out of the window.

"I want to find my father.  I don't know who he is, but it's like I've already met him somewhere – for real, not in a dream."

Will tried again to look into Bran's mind but could still sense nothing.  Then suddenly he heard Jane asking silently:

_'What's going on Will?'_

He turned his head slowly towards her with a quizzical look.

_'You can read my mind, can't you'_ Jane thought.

Will nodded.

_'But you can't read Bran's.'_

He shook his head.  Into her mind he said _'I have to go and speak to Merriman, I'll only be gone a minute.  Just wait here.'_

_'No Will!'_

_'I must, this is serious.'_

"Can I use your bathroom, Bran?" he asked getting up.

"Yes, upstairs on the left" said Bran.

Will went out the room.  They heard the stairs creaking and a door open.  Bran moved to sit at the table, then remembering something, he dashed upstairs after Will.

"Don't use the hot tap, Will," he called.  "The boiler's on the blink and the system's drained down…Will?  Will?"

Jane heard him moving about then he came back downstairs and into the kitchen, a look of disbelief on his face.

"He's gone!  He's not in the bathroom or the bedrooms.  He's not anywhere!"


	4. The Summoning

Disclaimer:  All characters and plot elements from The Dark is Rising sequence belong to Susan Cooper.  The rest is mine.

4.  The Summoning

Will walked up the stairs of the cottage and turned left.  When he reached the bathroom he placed his hand flat on the door, whispered two words and turned the handle.  As the door opened he heard the beautiful, elusive phrase of music that always accompanied his travels through time and space.

He stepped forward, not into a bathroom, but into a dimly lit great hall and felt the door close silently behind him.  This was the place, now so familiar to him, to which he'd come on his eleventh birthday and first met Merriman and The Lady.  Now it was his turn to summon them.

He walked to the far end of the hall, his footsteps echoing on the stone floor.  The only other sound was that of the crackling fire which burnt endlessly in the fireplace, the leaping orange flames somehow never consuming the logs which appeared to fuel them.  As always, there were two large carved wooden chairs either side of the fire, grand and imposing like thrones.

Will took a taper from the box on the mantelpiece and lit it in the roaring flames.  He moved to the circular candle holder which stood on the large table in the middle of the hall.  There were five tall candles, four around the edges, where the crosspieces met the circle, and one in the very middle.

Speaking softly the words of calling, he lit each one, leaving the centre candle till last.  As he lit it, all the flames suddenly burned very bright.  Will put out the taper and stood before the candle ring.  He gazed intently at the centre flame and saw it gradually change colour – from yellow to red, then pink and finally white – pure light.  He relaxed his gaze until he was hardly focussing and waited.  How long he stood there, he couldn't tell, but at last he became aware of a presence.  Even before he turned, he knew they were there.

"We didn't expect to see you again so soon, Will" said The Lady.  Her voice was soft, yet clear as a bell.  It never ceased to amaze Will how someone who looked so delicate could speak with such strength.  And yet, since The Lady had travelled to the place beyond the North Wind, she had begun to seem younger, less fragile and filled with a new vitality.

The two figures sat regally in the high carved chairs, smiling in greeting.  Will came forward, happy inside to see his friends.  He nodded a bow towards them.

"Please forgive the intrusion, but I need your advice on an urgent matter."

"What is the problem?" asked Merriman.  "You can't retrieve the harp?"

"No, it's not that, it's Bran.  We met him when we were at the lake.  His memories have begun to return by themselves.  He wants to find his real father and … well I'm not sure, but I don't think he's mortal."

Merriman was immediately on his feet, eyes blazing.  "How can this be?  I made the enchantment myself!" he said with a tone of astonishment that Will had never in his life heard before from his mentor.

"Merriman, if this is true, we have underestimated the strength of his birthright and the power of the High Magic within Bran," said The Lady.  "You have done right to come to us, Will, this situation is very serious."

"What shall I do?"

"Nothing for the moment.  We must consult the Council of the High Law to determine the right course of action.  Just wait here for us."

Their images seemed to flicker and fade, and Will was left alone again.  He sat down on the richly-woven rug on the floor in front of the hearth. Usually he loved being in this Hall, the place between two worlds where he and Merriman could meet to discuss matters of  The Light.  This time things were different.   A feeling of unease was building inside him and, as he stared into the fire, he could hear again the anguish in Bran's voice as he talked about finding his father.

Suddenly like a flame re-igniting, Merriman and The Lady were there again.  Will stood up.  The Lady looked graver than before, but Merriman's face was fixed as ever.

He said, "The Council of the High Law has agreed that Bran can go and live with his father, although there are certain conditions to be met first."  There was a sternness in Merriman's voice that troubled Will.  He looked questioningly at them both.

"If he wants to go," said The Lady, "he must be tested to prove that he is still the Pendragon, not mortal, and entitled to all that follows from that."

"What sort of tests do you mean?" asked Will, slightly baffled.

"We cannot tell you exactly what they will be," she said, "but you may know that he must face three challenges: challenges of identity, authority and birthright.  He has to pass all three tests in order to be accepted by the High Law."

"You must ask him what he wants to do," said Merriman,  "but you can give him no help or clue about the tests. And you cannot by any means tell him about his father.  If he decides to go, the first test will begin at Tal-y-Llyn a week from today, an hour before sunset.  If Bran passes that, he will come to Avalon to face the next two challenges."

"What if he fails?" asked Will. An indistinct fear was nagging inside him.

"If he fails any test in Avalon, he will be destroyed by the High Magic," Merriman said without emotion.  "Once he has been there and seen the life he would lead with his father, a return to this world would mean a life of torment and desolation and ultimately self-destruction.  Therefore the High Magic will allow him no way back."

Will looked astounded at Merriman.  "How can I ask my friend to choose that possibility?  He can't even remember everything properly."

"Yet you cannot keep that choice from him – it is for Bran alone to make the decision," said The Lady gently.  "One more thing," she continued, "You and Jane Drew must come too, as Bran's supporters and for part of the test.  There will be no danger for you and you will both return safely."

Will was silent.  He looked sadly into the fire once more, watching the dancing, crackling flames and wished he'd never seen Bran again.

"Come now Will.  It will turn out for the good,"  said The Lady.  "It seems this was inevitable and Bran must now fulfil his destiny once and for all."

Will knew her words were true, but it didn't stop him from being filled with dread about going back to face Bran.

"What about the harp?"  he asked, suddenly remembering his original task. 

"That will happen in due course," said Merriman.  "You will know when the right time comes.  Now it is time to go.  We will see you in a week."  Will knew he was being dismissed. He walked back to the candle stand on the table.  

 "Goodbye" he said to the two Old Ones, then turned and blew out the candles.  When he looked back at the fireplace, the two chairs were empty.


	5. Choices

Disclaimer:  All characters and plot elements from The Dark is Rising sequence belong to Susan Cooper.  The rest is mine.

_A/N Hope you like the story so far – please keep reviewing, it helps to know someone out there is reading all this!_

5.  Choices

"He must be somewhere," said Jane.

Bran was looking at her in a way that really unnerved her and she suddenly felt vulnerable without Will.  The next moment they heard footsteps on the stairs and Will walked into the kitchen.

"Hey Bran, did you know the hot tap's not working?"

"Where have you been?" demanded Bran.

"In the bathroom, where else?"

"I checked just a minute ago and you weren't there.  Look, what's going on?"

Will glanced at Jane, saw her tense expression and knew there was a problem.

"Look Will, I'm not stupid, something weird is happening.  You and Jane turn up out of the blue, Jane has a ring with a stone I've seen in my dreams, then you disappear and reappear pretending you've been to the toilet!"

Bran's eyes narrowed in suspicion, as if he was trying to read Will's mind.  "Has this got something to do with my father?"

Will was a little startled by this, but knew it was the High Magic within Bran breaking through, not any powers of telepathy he'd suddenly acquired.

"Well… yes and no really.  Jane and I didn't come here intending to see you, but now that we have, I have to tell you or rather ask you something that will change your life completely."

Bran's expression went from suspicion to astonishment, then to wonder.  "Do you know who my father is?"  His tawny eyes were suddenly shining with hope.

"Yes I know, but I'm forbidden to tell you about him – as are you Jane."

"She knows too?!" said Bran, instantly full of anger.

"Listen to what I've got to tell you," said Will quickly, trying to calm Bran's rising temper.  "Your real father is not an ordinary person.  He is a long way from here and you can go to him, but there are two important things you have to know.  Firstly, if you decide to go, you can never return to this place or see the people you've grown up with ever again.  

"Never return…?" echoed Bran more subdued.

"Secondly, you will face certain tests to ensure that you are your father's son and entitled to remain with him.  If you fail the tests…" Will faltered, not wanting to go on, but knowing he must.  "If you fail, it will mean the end of your life."

Bran's head jerked up to stare at him in dismay.

"You have one week to decide whether or not to go, and to say goodbye if that's what you choose."

"I don't understand," said Bran looking bewildered.  "What do you mean?"

"I can't tell you anything else."  Will's voice was shaking and he felt terrible.  "You must look inside yourself."

He could say no more and turned away, unable to face Bran.  He felt choked by his own feelings as well as sensing Jane's horrified emotions as she took in the full implications of what he had said.

Bran sat down at the table, a look of fear and incomprehension on his face.  Tears were beginning to well in Jane's eyes and she looked utterly shocked.

"Will isn't there any other way?" she asked huskily.

"No, those are the conditions set by the High Law."  

_'The Lady asked that you be there too for the tests, as Bran's supporter,'_ he spoke into her mind.

Slowly, Bran seemed to have some sort of realisation.  "These tests…you're not talking about blood tests or genetics, are you.  You mean something more… more supernatural.  It's to do with the things in my dreams isn't it?"

Will nodded.  He looked into Bran's face, which was, if possible, whiter than ever, and longed to tell him about his father.  But he knew better than to disobey his instructions – the High Magic would deal harshly with him for that.

There was a long silence, then Bran asked,  "Where is this place I have to go to?" 

"It's part of this world, but outside the time and space that you know.  It's difficult to explain - until you go there, you cannot understand what it is ."

"But what's it like?"

"I can't tell you exactly because I haven't been there, but I know it's a place of peace and contentment.  And I think once you're there you'll never want to leave."  With quiet longing, Will thought of the day he too would go there forever.

Sighing, he said "Jane and I have to go now, Bran, but we'll come back in a week when you must choose your path.  We'll meet you by the lake one hour before sunset.  Just one piece of advice though.  Talk to your Dad – he knew your mother and he knows you.  I think his wisdom will surprise you."

He motioned to Jane to go and she stood up.  She touched her hand briefly on Bran's shoulder, although she really wanted to hold him and comfort him like a mother reassuring her child.

They left him sitting alone in the kitchen like a little boy lost, unable to understand what was happening to him.  As Will closed the cottage door he was overcome by a wave of guilt, wishing so strongly that he had never come back here, never disturbed Bran's life, never allowed those memories and dreams to be stirred up into real hopes and fears.

Jane felt so drained that she couldn't speak.  She just followed Will back down the road, hardly aware of where she was going.  Finally, as they came to the small clump of trees where they had first arrived, she realised Will was speaking to her and tried to focus her attention.

"Jane please don't hate me for what's happened.  I don't think I could bear that.  It had to come, one way or another, because the High Magic is so strong within Bran – the Old Ones made a mistake in that.  If Bran doesn't go and face this testing, he will become so tormented by his half-remembered memories that it would literally drive him mad."

"Will, I don't blame you, it's just that everything has to be black and white for the High Law – Light or Dark, good or bad.  There are never any shades of grey or half-way states.  It just seems so unfair to put Bran through all that."

Will didn't know what to say.  How could he keep trying to justify it all to Jane when he felt the same inside?

"We must get back now."  He held out his hand to her and she took it.  They passed through the invisible doorway and were once more in the castle gardens.  The afternoon sun was hot on their faces as they walked in silence back to the High Street.  Will could feel the turmoil of Jane's emotions and suddenly put his arm around her.  Accepting his comfort, she pressed a little closer to him.

All of a sudden, she turned to him and asked "Have you always been able to read minds?"

Surprised by the question, Will smiled.  "No, it's something that's developed over the last few years.  I can usually sense people's feelings, but knowing what they are thinking takes a lot of concentration… although with you it seems to flow more easily."

"I don't want you to keep reading my thoughts – it's like you're invading my privacy," she said with sudden annoyance.

"OK, OK.  I won't unless I really have to, or I sense you want me to – like before at Bran's."

"I wasn't sure if I was right, so I wanted to test it out."

Will laughed.  "You were right."

As they reached the railway station Will said, "Jane, you will come back in a week, won't you?  Bran's going to need both of us to support him."

She nodded sombrely.  "Of course I will."

They stood in silence both unsure what to say next.  Finally Jane burst out

"Will, when this is all over, please don't make me forget again.  Please don't take away my memories of everything that's happened, they are so special to me.  And I feel… there's something… special between you and me – a connection that the others never had."

"Yes, there is," Will said, smiling that smile that lit up his face.  "We've been through some very powerful things together.  I think that's why The Lady wanted you to help me."

At last Jane smiled.  "So can I keep my memories?"

"Look…I really wish I could say yes, but it's not up to me.  I'll do what I can.  Jane, I--"

"I'd better go," she interrupted.  Will could feel her disappointment but there was nothing more he could say and he watched her walk towards the ticket barrier.  But, as she disappeared from view, he sensed her reaching out to him.

_'Will…see you next week.'_


	6. Reflections

Disclaimer:  All characters and plot elements from The Dark is Rising sequence belong to Susan Cooper.  The rest is mine.

6.  Reflections

In the week that followed, Jane spent much of her time reflecting on her newly-restored memories.  Many things were still very hazy but she found that if she touched the stone on the ring her mind gradually became clearer.

She thought a lot about Will too, but she knew she mustn't let her feelings run away with her.  Could there ever be anything serious between a mortal and an Old One?  John Rowland's wife had been part of the Dark, but she couldn't really have ever loved him – ultimately she abandoned him for her masters.  Jane tried to put the thoughts out of her head, but they kept re-surfacing.

* * *

Will spent a more anxious week.  He wondered whether Bran would go and if he did, what challenges he would face.  He spoke to Merriman several times, but because Will had to be involved in part of the testing, Merriman would tell him nothing.

Will's main concern was how Bran was actually going to remember things if no-one was allowed to help him.  Merriman had said _'If he is true to his father, he will be given the power.'_

* * *

Bran spent his week walking through the valley and the hills that had been his home all his life.

This was the place to which his mother had brought him, where she'd wanted him to be.  How could he go to a place he didn't even know existed and leave this wild, raw beauty?  Yet since his dog Cafall had died, he hadn't felt so much a part of it as before.  Now it was like something else was calling to him, to a place buried deep within him, and he could no longer ignore that call.

On the last evening before Will returned, Bran spoke to his father.

"Da, I'm going away tomorrow."

"Mm?" said Mr Davies, looking up from his paper.

"I have to leave, Da."  

His father saw the seriousness and sadness on Bran's face.  He put down the paper and sighed deeply.

"So the time has come, I knew it would eventually.  She left me and now you must go too."

"Da, I…"

"It's OK Bran _bach_, I just hope your real father loves you as much as I have."

"How do you know…?"

"I just know."

"Isn't there anything you can tell me about him?"

"It's funny, I thought I knew who he was once, but it seems so long ago, more like a dream."

There was silence for a moment.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm not really sure – Will Stanton is taking me."

"Ah, him.  I wondered why he'd come last week.  A lot of odd things seem to happen when he's around."

Silence again.

"When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow evening – we're meeting at the lake."

"Just promise you won't go without saying goodbye, like Gwennie did.  Please Bran."

"Of course, Da, I promise."


	7. Remembrance

Disclaimer:  All characters and plot elements from The Dark is Rising sequence belong to Susan Cooper.  The rest is mine.

7.   Remembrance

The early evening sunshine cast long shadows about them as Will and Jane stepped onto the Welsh hillside.

They had chatted a little, walking to the castle.  Will had warned Jane, with a deadly serious expression, to be careful what she said to Bran, as they couldn't give him any hints or clues during the tests.  Now there was silence between them.  Will was trying to keep his mind focussed on what lay ahead.  Jane had many questions revolving around in her head, but knew this was not the time to ask them.

As they neared the lake, Jane looked up at the hills and felt their immense, silent power once again.  Will felt it too, but also a crackle in the air like static electricity, as if the very place knew something was about to happen.

"D'you think Bran will be alright?" asked Jane, finally breaking the silence.

"I don't know."  Will said uncertainly.  "I just don't know how he's going to remember anything clearly.  Maybe the High Magic in him will be strong enough, but it all seemed so fragmented last week."

They walked down to the edge of the lake and saw Bran sitting on a rock.  He looked small and alone against the vast backdrop of green hills and grey mountains.

"Hello Bran," called Jane.

He half turned and looked up at them.  He was wearing his dark glasses so they couldn't see his eyes.

"So you've come then."  He looked out across the lake again.  Inside, the longing to stay and the longing to go were tearing him apart.  He knew he must conquer this fear of the unknown that was holding him back.  But the beauty, the untamed passion of this place also held him so strongly that he felt he could hardly break free.

"It's time to make your decision," said Will.

Bran stood up and faced them.  He took off his glasses and his tawny eyes were circled with dark shadows, as if he hadn't slept for days.

"Bran, are you OK?" asked Jane with concern.

"I thought I was."  There was a tremor in his voice.  "Yesterday it all seemed so clear.  Now I feel so unsure, I don't know if I'm doing the right thing."

"You must trust the truth inside you, Bran," said Will with the voice of an Old One.

Bran looked him straight in the eye and suddenly knew he was right, he must go.  

At last he said, "I want to find my real father."

"Alright.  Are you ready?"

"Yes, but I have to say goodbye to my Dad.  He's just gone to get something – he won't be long."

"OK, a few minutes then."  Will sat down on a rock.  This burden of responsibility seemed to be weighing him down.  Jane sat on a rock near by.  Bran stared out again across the lake.

The tension Will could feel, his own, Bran's and Jane's, was becoming unbearable.  He looked at his watch. Time seemed to have slowed down.  Finally he said, "We have to get ready, Bran, we can't wait any longer."

"No.  I promised Da I wouldn't go without saying goodbye.  It would break his heart and my mother already did that."

"Bran, the time is nearly here.  The High Law…"

"No, I said!  If I can't say goodbye properly, I won't go."  His voice was breaking with emotion.

Jane and Will looked at each other.

"Please Will," said Jane,  "just another minute."

Will opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again and just nodded.

At last they heard an engine and saw Mr Davies's van pull over at the edge of the road.  He hurried towards them, his face fixed on his son.

"Sorry I took so long Bran."  His eyes looked red and they could see he was struggling to keep composed.  "I didn't think you'd be here so soon," he said to Will and Jane.  "Is it time now?"  His voice seemed small and distant.

"Almost, Mr Davies."  Will's throat felt so tight he could hardly speak.

"Is it true I'll never see Bran again?"

Will could only nod.  Bran turned away.

"I thought so.  I knew it had to come."  Mr Davies let out a deep sigh and said something in Welsh to Bran.  Bran turned back and looked at him, tears in his eyes.

"Oh Da!"  He rushed towards him and threw his arms round his Dad.

Neither Will nor Jane could bear to look at them in that final embrace.  The grief of separation was too overpowering.

After a minute, Owen Davies drew back.

"I have something for you Bran.  I went to fetch it just now."  He took from his jacket pocket a stem of green spiky leaves.  An aroma of herbs drifted through the air.

"When your mother left, she tucked a sprig of rosemary inside your blankets.  I couldn't bear to throw it away, so I put it in a pot and then planted it by the old cottage.  Somehow it has grown and survived all these years and now I want you to take a piece with you.  If you see your mother, wherever you're going, give it to her and tell her I never forgot her and will always love her.

"I will" whispered Bran.

"Rosemary for remembrance" said Jane softly.

Will looked at her and suddenly understood what Merriman had meant:

_'If he is true to his father, he will be given the power.'_

If Bran hadn't waited for his Dad, what was about to happen could never take place.

For the first time that day Will smiled, just a little.  He motioned to Jane to come and stand near Bran – he was going to need them.

Mr Davies held out the rosemary twig.  As his son took it, Jane and Mr Davies both thought they saw a flash like lightning in the sky, though there were no clouds to be seen.

Will suddenly felt the whole of space and time jump and quiver for an instant, as it re-arranged itself into a new pattern.

For Bran, as he touched those leaves, it was like an almighty storm breaking over him.  Images flooded into his being, like watching a high speed film, and for a moment he thought he must be dying.  He saw scenes from his life, but they were things he'd never known before, except perhaps in his dreams.  

Then an overwhelming awareness of who he was, what he was, his name and place in history crashed into his brain.  He staggered sideways and found Will and Jane next to him, supporting him, steadying him again.

The storm was over as quickly as it had come, but Bran was utterly changed.  He stood up straight and tall and looked about him.


	8. Gold From The Deep

Disclaimer:  All characters and plot elements from The Dark is Rising sequence belong to Susan Cooper.  The rest is mine.

_A/N -    Nos da = Goodnight;  eisteddfod = a Welsh festival of music, poetry, dance etc._

8.  Gold From the Deep

"Bran _bach_, are you alright?" asked Mr Davies anxiously.

"Yes…I'm fine," Bran answered absently.  His mind was still reeling from the sudden realisation that he was a King's son and had played a crucial role in saving the world from the Dark.  They all saw an unmistakeable difference in his face.  It was like a shadow had fallen away and a new brightness shone from his eyes.

Will glanced up at the sky and could see the sun moving down towards the west.  

"Bran, we have to begin," he said.

Bran looked dazed but and nodded.

"Mr Davies," said Will, "I'm going to draw a circle around Jane, Bran and myself, and when it's done you won't see us anymore."

Owen Davies looked from Will to Bran, a deep sadness in his eyes.  Bran met his gaze and tried to smile.

Swallowing hard he said, "I'll be alright, Da. Please don't stay after we're gone; go back and see Megan, she'll be waiting for you."

"If that's what you want son, I'll go,"  said Mr Davies stepping back a little.  His voice was drained of all emotion.

Will, pointing at the ground, began to walk around Bran and Jane drawing a large circle of concealment.  When it was finished, they could still see Mr Davies but to him they had vanished.  He stood for a moment looking at the empty space.

"_Nos da,_ Bran Davies," he called and then turned and walked away towards the road.

"_Nos da,_ Owen Davies," whispered Bran.

They saw the solitary figure, head bowed, open the door of the van and climb in; they heard the engine growl into life and watched as the vehicle disappeared over the hill and the sound faded away.

Bran turned slowly to Will.  "Tell me one thing.  What will my Dad say has happened to me?"

Will looked at him with the eyes of an Old One and sighed gently.  "Nothing.  They will forget.  All who knew you will forget.  Though you have lived in this time, you were never truly part of it, so the memories will disappear like the sea washing away footprints in the sand."

Bran frowned and seemed about to say something, but instead he pursed his lips and let out a long breath. It was as if he was letting go of his life in this place.  He shivered slightly, then putting on his dark glasses he said, "Well, Old One, what must I do?"

To Will it was suddenly like having the old Bran back, the one he'd known 3 years ago, who had stood firm at his side in the final battle.  All his tension ebbed away and he now felt confident about Bran's ability to face what was to come.

"The High Law has set three challenges and you must pass each one to move on to the next.  But first put this on."  Will took off the chain and pendant with the Lightning Stone and gave it to Bran.  "You've still got to prove your birthright and this talisman will let you pass through the barriers of the High Magic."

Bran held it up against the light.  "It's the stone Gwion gave me, from the Lost Land.  Didn't I give it to you Jane?"

"Yes, but Will needed it back for the pendant.  And anyway I've got the ring he made for me instead."

Bran looked at Will, eyebrows raised.  "So _was_ I interrupting something last week?" he asked with a mischievous smile.

"Jane needed the ring to get here," Will said firmly.  

"And why did you come here in the first place?"

"For the harp," began Jane.

_'NO!'_ Will shouted into her head.

Jane looked shocked and stared at him.  

"What's wrong Jane?" Bran asked, puzzled by her sudden change of expression.

"Er…I…er…nothing," she stammered uncertainly.

Bran glanced at Will who looked tense again.

"Well, you two certainly seem to have a lot of secrets.  But if you're not going to tell me, we may as well get on."  Already his tone of voice showed an awareness of his true rank.  Will would have found it slightly irritating to be talked down to if he wasn't so glad that Bran was his old self again.

"Sorry, you're right Bran," Will said, trying to sound calm.  "We must begin."  A nagging fear had crept into his mind which he couldn't think about now.  Putting away his anxieties, he stood facing the lake and tried to prepare his mind for the task in hand.  He turned back to Bran, speaking loudly and clearly, as if addressing the whole sky.

"Bran, do you claim to be the son of the High Lord Arthur and his Lady Guinevere?"

"I do."

"Do you claim to be the Pendragon and rightful heir to that position within the High Law?"

"I do."

"Do you claim to be Prince of the High Magic and entitled to a place in Avalon, the land beyond the North Wind?"

"I do."

There was a strength and power in Bran's voice, a total confidence in who he was and what he was doing.  Will continued:

"Are you ready to face the challenges of the High Law and High Magic to test your claims?"

"I am."

"Then prepare for your first challenge."

Jane, who was beginning to feel a little redundant in all this, suddenly heard words in her head that were not her thoughts nor words from Will.  It was the voice of a woman, light and gentle but also clear and insistent.

_'You must speak the first challenge of the High Law.'_

She was startled but not worried. She glanced at Will, who sensed what was happening and nodded to her. Then some lines of verse came into her mind, so she began to speak.

"Bran, this is what the High Law says:

_When the sound of gold from waters deep_

_Is heard in the shadow of Arthur's Seat_

_Once more will Pridwen come."_

Bran was a bit surprised to hear Jane speaking the words but he knew he must try and concentrate on their meaning.  _Arthur's Seat_ – that was easy – Cader Idris, the mountain in whose shadow they were standing.  _The sound of gold from waters deep -_ he closed his eyes, allowing the memories to resurface – that must be the golden harp that he and Will had sought, which Caradog Pritchard had flung in anger into this very lake. And _Pridwen_?  Of course, the majestic ship that had sailed across the sky, bearing his father away.  He felt a sudden stab of anguish at that thought.

He opened his eyes and said slowly, "I must summon the ship _Pridwen _by playing the harp that lies at the bottom of this lake.  But how do I get the harp?"

"The harp belongs to the High Magic and can only be retrieved at its request," said Jane at the prompting of the gentle voice in her head.

Bran glanced across at Will, but from the fixed expression he saw, which distinctly reminded him of Merriman, he knew he'd receive no help from that quarter.  He looked back at Jane and thought _'If that's what you two came for before, you must still be able to get it.'_

He took a deep breath, then standing straight, said clearly  "As Prince of the High Magic, I have the authority to request the retrieval of the harp and so I command you Old One, Will Stanton, and you mortal, Jane Drew, to bring the harp to me."

Jane could feel the strength of Bran's words and again she spoke as the voice told her.

"The High Law acknowledges your authority to command and accepts your request."  Turning her head she said confidently, "Will, we must get the harp."

Slightly taken aback, Will nodded.  He had to admit he was more than a little impressed by the power with which Jane spoke the words from the High Law.  There was a calmness and self-possession about her now which also seemed to bring a new sparkle to her eyes.

Jane herself felt great exhilaration rising inside her.  She had never expected to be so deeply involved with these events and found herself wanting more and more.  And she didn't have long to wait for it.

Once again Will moved behind her and they stood together, right hands outstretched pointing towards the lake.  The pulse of energy that ran up Jane's arm as their hands touched this time was so strong it made her catch her breath.  Comfortably aware of Will's closeness, she relaxed her mind and looked straight ahead.  Will began the spell in the Old Speech.

The chanting started softly, gradually becoming louder and more intense. It filled Jane's head, filled every part of her until her whole body resonated with the sound.  Her eyes focussed on a rippling point far out on the water.  Then suddenly she and Will seemed to leave their bodies and were diving straight down into the middle of the lake.  The water rushed noiselessly past them as they plunged through the darkness, down, down until at last they saw the gleaming brightness of gold.  They touched the harp together and instantly they were back at the side of the lake holding the small golden harp between them.

"Wow, that was impressive!" said Bran behind them.  "You were just standing there, then you seemed to quiver and everything jumped and the harp appeared out of nowhere!"

Jane, breathless, could hardly believe it.  "That was so amazing Will!"  Her eyes were wide and her face was beaming.

"Yeah, not bad," he said casually.  He smiled, then burst out laughing at their astonished faces.

Will handed the harp to Bran.  "OK Your Highness, it's time you did some work.  Hope you've been practising."

Bran raised his eyebrows but grinned as he took the beautiful instrument and placed it in the crook of his left arm. 

He ran his right hand over the strings and the sweetness of the sound immediately brought vivid memories flooding back to himself and Will.  He hesitated a moment, trying to decide what to play, then chose a folk tune he'd learnt for the _eisteddfod_ earlier in the summer. 

The notes rippled out across the water in a haunting melody that seemed to wrap the valley in enchantment.  The sounds wove themselves around the rocks and the hills and the three people standing there until they were so caught up in its magic that they hardly noticed the boat out on the lake.


	9. Going Home

Disclaimer:  All characters and plot elements from The Dark is Rising sequence belong to Susan Cooper.  The rest is mine.

_A/N I've had problems getting this chapter right and I'm still not happy with it all, but I've got to get on with the story before it takes over my life!_

_Pob hwyl = good luck/all the best,   diolch=thanks_

9.  Going Home

The high-prowed wooden ship sailed gracefully across the water, drawn by the music of the golden harp.  As Bran continued his melody, the rays of the setting sun caught the symbol of the Light emblazoned in red on the white sail.  The circle quartered by a cross seemed almost to glow with fire like a beacon heralding the arrival of a king.

Bran was filled with a hoping – a longing – that the boat would bring his father to him.

Making no ripples or waves as it moved, the little ship swung round in an arc towards the shore.  As it drew closer  they could see the name _Pridwen _painted in red and gold near the prow, whilst at the stern they could make out a figure, though it was not one that any of them could recognise.

Bran stilled the strings of the harp as the vessel stopped in front of them and watched the person in the boat move forward.  A young woman stood before them smiling.  

"My lord the King sends his greetings and bids me welcome his guests.  My name is Telyn."

Jane said happily, "You're the person I heard, the voice that told me to speak the first challenge."

Telyn gently inclined her head.  She was a few years older than them with a fresh complexion and dark eyes.  The dying sunlight picked out shades of red in her long brown hair which fell loose down her back.  Her dark blue cloak was held at the neck by a silver clasp and underneath she wore a flowing pale blue dress.

Her speech was gentle, but there was a note of command in it.  

"Bran ap Arthur, you have passed the first test of authority.  Now you must make your final choice.  If you wish to travel with me to the land beyond the North wind, I bid you come.  But once you step into the boat, there is no turning back and your path will be set.  You can never return to this place."

Bran took off his glasses and looked at the hills and the sky and the lake once more.  But the towering grey mountains and sheep-scattered fields could no longer hold him. This had been a good place to grow up, but now he had to move on to where his destiny lay.

With complete self-assurance he said, "I gave up my place with my father once before.  Now I have a second chance and I won't let that go."

Telyn held out her hand to him and he stepped aboard the boat.  Jane and Will stood watching transfixed on the shore.

"Well come on then, you two," Bran called, sounding like a 15 year old boy again, not a Prince of the High Magic.

Will gave himself a slight shake, clambered into the boat and reached out to help Jane.  Trusting in the hand he offered, she too climbed on board.

"Please make yourselves comfortable for the journey," said Telyn.

They settled themselves on some low cushioned seats just forward of the mast.

"May I have the harp, my lord?" asked the girl.

"Of course Telyn," said Bran with a smile.

Telyn took the instrument, smoothing her fingers over the carved gilded frame with its twining leaves.

"It's more beautiful than I had imagined," she said.  She sat facing them and looked up for a moment, as if listening to some unheard voice.  Then she began to play with obvious skill, her fingers moving lightly, nimbly across the golden strings.  Once more the enchantment of the notes flowed out enveloping the valley.

"Look!" said Jane, pointing up at the mountains.  Bran and Will turned to see mist floating down the hillsides, down towards the farm and the village beyond – Bran's old world.  Will knew that as it passed by the houses and drifted away into the night, it would take with it all memories of Bran and his life.  

Bran watched it with a twinge of sadness but no regret, then said determinedly:  "It's time to go home."

The melody Telyn played seemed to change to a faster, lighter tune and the majestic ship sailed gently across the lake and into the air, out towards the west, as if following the sun.  Soon they were out over the sea, then dipped down to glide through the water, an unfelt breeze billowing the square sail.

Bran had moved to stand at the prow, gazing out towards the distant horizon, while Will and Jane sat together listening to the liquid notes pouring from the harp strings.

Will felt at ease, and though he knew there were still challenges ahead, the prospect of seeing Avalon filled him with a quiet excitement.  Allowing himself to be lulled by the music, he stilled his senses as an Old One and just rested; under the protection of the High Magic nothing could harm them.

Jane was caught up in wonder at everything that was happening.  It was like a marvellous dream to be here and be part of it.  She felt very safe next to Will and the bond between them seemed stronger than ever.  

She glanced at him and her stomach suddenly lurched as it had done when she'd first seen him in the bookshop.  She was hit by the truth which she could no longer deny.  She loved him.  It didn't matter that he was an Old One whose first allegiance would always be to The Light.  She loved his mysterious nature and knowing air, and especially his great strength of character.  He'd always treated her with a special care, always been gentle and patient, despite her many doubts and anxieties.  How could she do anything _but_ love him?  The revelation melted her insides; it was a delicious, comfortable feeling like coming in on a cold night and being wrapped in a soft, warm blanket.  A smile spread across her face that she didn't even try to hide.

Still smiling, her gaze was drawn back to Telyn as the music of the harp altered again to a softer lilting melody like a lullaby.  Bran came to sit down with them, his features totally peaceful.

Tirelessly, Telyn's fingers caressed the strings of the harp, mesmerizing her passengers.  And without any of them realising or being able to resist, they drifted off into a gentle, dreamless sleep.

* * *

Will was the first to wake, quickly followed by Bran and Jane.  The music had stopped and they were moored by a wooden jetty in front of a magnificent castle.  Telyn was standing on the jetty talking to a man.  When she noticed they were awake she came over and helped them out of the boat.

"I trust you slept well," she said.  "Please come with me.  You must present yourselves to the Court in a little while."

They were surprised to find it was still daylight in this place; in fact it was hard to tell if it was morning or afternoon.  The light was bright but Bran found, for the first time anywhere, that it didn't hurt his eyes and he didn't need his dark glasses.  Will glanced at his watch, but it seemed to have stopped.  They had no idea how long they'd been asleep, it could have been minutes, hours or even days.  

They surveyed the castle which was quite as beautiful as any fairytale palace they could imagine.  The walls were of smooth, silvery-grey stone, green flags flew from the many towers and turrets, and at the entrance were two immensely grand carved wooden doors that reminded Will of the great doors into the Hall where he'd so often met Merriman.

They didn't go through this entrance, however, but Telyn led them to a small, no less ornate gateway set further along the wall of the castle.  She tapped lightly three times and the thick wooden door swung open.  Will, Bran and Jane followed her inside and through another door into a brightly lit chamber.

There were candles set all round the walls but they didn't flicker or waver and gave off a brilliant yet gentle light.  The walls were decorated with painted flowers and leaves twining around each other, so vivid that it was as if they really grew there.  The three new arrivals gazed about in amazement.

"Please wait here," said Telyn smiling at their wondrous expressions.  "The Court of the High Law and the Masters of the High Magic are preparing to meet you.  Help yourselves to something to eat and drink."

She left through another door and they went over to a wooden table at one end of the room laid out with bread, fruit and a jug of golden liquid.  Bran poured some into a glass goblet with a long, smooth stem and tasted it.

"Mmm, apple juice.  Should've known," he said smiling.

Will looked puzzled for a second before he got Bran's meaning.  "Oh yeah," he laughed.  "Avalon – Land of Apples!"

Jane poured some juice too, feeling quite thirsty.  "Hey, it's delicious.  I don't think I've ever tasted anything so good."  

Will was almost overwhelmed by the sensation of happiness that flowed from Jane but put it down to the sheer wonder of being in this strange castle.

They ate and drank, feeling rested and relaxed.  There was a sense of tranquillity in this place; it was like the first day of the summer holidays where endless possibilities lay ahead and there was no pressure to do anything.

Telyn returned.

"I hope you enjoyed the refreshments," she said her dark eyes shining in the candle light.  "The time has come for the second test."

"Will my father be there?" asked Bran, excitement showing in his face.

"No, I'm sorry my lord, the High Law doesn't allow him to be part of the Court that judges you.  If all is well, you will see him later."

Bran looked a little dejected, but could not remain so for very long.  Deep inside he knew already that this was the place to which he belonged; he really was, at long last, home.

Telyn led them through bright corridors decorated with murals of flowers, animals and scenes of distant places.  On one wall there were leaping fish, on another mice ran through a border of painted grass, the colours so bright and fresh it was as if the artist had only finished them yesterday.  They wished they could have stopped to look more closely because there was so much to see in each picture and it felt like there would always be something new to find.

Jane, who was walking next to Telyn, said to her, "You play the harp so beautifully."

"You are very kind," she replied.  "I have been playing since I was a child, but now I have a wonderful teacher who has taught me so much more than I ever hoped."

"He must be someone very special."

"Oh Taliesin is the most gifted poet and musician you could ever know."

At the name, Bran and Will looked at each other remembering with delight the small, grey-bearded man who had been their guide in the Lost Land.  "Gwion!" said Bran.  

Will smiled.  "Maybe he'll teach you too.  I hope I can see him before I…leave."  He felt a sudden pang at the thought of going away again, even though they'd been there so short a time.

They went through another door and found themselves in what seemed to be an ante-chamber.

"Here I must leave you," said Telyn.  "_Pob hwyl_, Bran."

"_Diolch_," answered Bran in surprise.  

Her cloak swishing around her, Telyn went back out the way they'd come.

There were large double doors in the wall in front of them, painted with a scene of the night sky.  There was the moon on one side, many stars in their constellations, a comet and smaller shooting stars and on the far side was the sun.  Will felt he had seen something like this before.  Then his senses were shouting at him that this was the final barrier of the High Magic.  Beyond the doors would be the Court of the High Law. 

"Bran, we're here" he said, the sudden anxiety coming through in his voice.  Bran nodded; he sensed it too.

"What's going to happen?" asked Jane.

"I don't know, but as long as you've got the ring you'll be protected," said Will

"Protected from what?"  She was beginning to feel alarmed.

"The power of the High Magic, the most powerful force in the universe.  If you have no right to enter into the presence of the High Law, you could get blasted out of existence.  The ring is your talisman, like a passport to permit your entry."

Jane looked at the ring and glanced up at Bran's pendant.  A sudden thought struck her.

"But what about you Will?  Bran and I have the Lightning Stones, you have no talisman."

"I have one for always," he said and pulled up the left sleeve of his jacket to show on his forearm the scar of a circle quartered by a cross.

She stared at the white brand in his pale skin, then looked into his eyes and thought _'Can I ever truly know you, Will Stanton?'_

Will held her gaze for a second, very tempted to read her thoughts, but resisting.  Then they heard the doors beginning to open and moved to stand together, Will and Jane on either side of Bran, waiting.


	10. The Sword

Disclaimer:  All characters and plot elements from The Dark is Rising sequence belong to Susan Cooper.  The rest is mine.

_A/N:  I'm currently re-writing part of Chapter 11, so if it's not up by Sunday, it won't be up until the middle of next week, as I'll be away a few days.  Thanks for sticking with me and a big THANK YOU for all your wonderful reviews.  Every single one is appreciated._

10.  The Sword

As the grand painted doors opened, they saw before them a large circular room, lit with candles.  Around the white walls were carved wooden chairs, with one larger, more ornate chair like a throne directly opposite them on a small platform.  The chairs were occupied by the lords and ladies of the Court, all in cloaks of various shades of blue, except for the chair on the platform which was empty.  Above each chair was a sword, some shining unsheathed, others in scabbards of exquisitely decorated leather.  

Will looked around and recognised Merriman, The Lady and some of the other faces.  He heard Jane gasp as she too saw her Great Uncle.  There were no smiles of welcome or even acknowledgement, just cold impassive stares.

As they took all this in, one lord stood up.

"My name is Wittan.  In the king's absence I will act as his majesty's deputy and have authority in this place.  I invite you to cross the threshold of the Court."  His commanding voice echoed beneath the high vaulted ceiling.

With some trepidation, they stepped together through the doorway. There was a blinding flash of white light as they passed into the inner sanctum of the High Magic.  The next instant it was gone, but Will suddenly felt something was wrong and looked to his left.  Jane was caught frozen in time.

 "The mortal Jane Drew cannot be admitted to this place," announced Wittan.

"Why not, my lord?" asked Bran.  "She has the Lightning Stone for a talisman, as have I."

"She has violated the conditions set by the High Law and gave you assistance in completing the first challenge."

"What did she do?"  Bran looked at him and then at Will.

Will's face was a picture of defeat.  The thing he'd feared back at the lake had come true.  "She told you we had come to get the harp.  That was part of the answer to the first challenge."

"But, my lord, she didn't mean to give me any help.  She didn't even know what the challenge would be."

"What will happen to her?" asked Will.

"She will go back to the mortal world.  She cannot take part in matters of High Magic again.  She will remember nothing."

Will felt like someone had kicked him.  He looked at Jane, standing staring straight ahead, her long blonde hair falling loosely across her shoulders.  "She so wanted to remember," he said softly.  Bran saw the longing look on his friend's round face.  His owl-like eyes narrowed thoughtfully for a second then he turned to the Court.

"Is there any way that she can be allowed to stay?"

There was silence for a few moments and no-one moved.  Will looked up, sensing something was happening, but his mind was blocked from hearing their wordless deliberations.

Then Wittan said, "The Court agrees; if she can complete the first part of this challenge on her own, she can remain here."

Bran seemed to be considering the idea.

"Bran, no!" exclaimed Will.  "You can't ask her to do that.  If she fails, that's the end for you."  He was filled with dread.  Bran had all his old self-confidence back, but maybe he was becoming over-confident.

"May I be permitted, my lord, to know what the next challenge is?" Bran asked.

"The second challenge is to prove your birthright by claiming Eirias and presenting it before us."

Bran looked around.  As soon as they had entered the Court, he had seen his sword hanging on the wall above the throne, sheathed in its white scabbard.  There were many other swords hanging up, but surely even Jane could manage this.

"The challenge seems simple enough,"  he said.

"For the Pendragon, the challenge is simple."

"Bran, be careful!" warned Will urgently.  "Please don't risk it."

Bran said quietly, "Do you really want to lose her forever, Old One?"

Will stared open-mouthed at Bran, completely taken aback.  Why did Bran assume to know his feelings for Jane when he hadn't even admitted them to himself?

Merriman spoke, his face deadly serious.  "Think carefully of the consequences before you do this Bran."

But Bran was determined.  With a fleeting look of defiance at Merriman, he faced the Court and said, "I ask that Jane Drew carries out the first part of the challenge"

"So be it," said Wittan.

Will felt Jane's release from limbo with relief, but could hardly believe what Bran had just done.  Unaware of what was happening, Jane looked around bewildered by all the faces staring at her.

"Jane Drew, come forward please," said Wittan.

"What's going on?  Will?  I don't understand."

With a strained look Will said, "I'm sorry Jane, Bran has passed the challenge on to you to stop you being sent back.  You have to do it or Bran will be…"

Jane looked stunned at Bran, but he returned her gaze with a look of trust and confidence.  He seemed so different, she thought, so self-assured, completely comfortable with who he was.  He gave her a smile and a nod.

"Please step forward, Jane Drew," repeated Wittan.

"Yes, my lord," she said falteringly.

She moved into the centre of the room, her legs trembling.  Will stood on her right and Bran on her left.

"Your task is to find Eirias for Bran," said Wittan.

"Find Eirias" she muttered to herself. _'Who's Eirias?  Will, help me!'_  She glanced at him but he shook his head powerlessly; in the presence of the High Magic he could do nothing to assist.

Jane shut her eyes, nervously fiddling with the ring.  She felt the smooth, cool texture of the stone and the thoughts in her head began to clear.  Suddenly she saw Bran on a beach holding up a glowing crystal sword.  

"The sword!" she whispered to herself, opening her eyes.  She looked around – there were dozens of swords on the walls, some shining, some sheathed, but no crystal ones.  There were different coloured leather scabbards and jewelled hilts of all kinds, but which one could it be?  She felt a wave of despair – she'd never paid much attention to the hilt of Bran's sword.  She tried to think about the scabbard instead and touched the stone again.  Now she could see Bran handing over sword and sheath to his father – the scabbard was white!  Again her eyes scoured the walls and again her heart sank as she found no white scabbards at all.

Will had been unable to hold back and was reading her thoughts all the time.  It was achingly hard for him to listen and not be able to help.  Then, as she looked desperately around again, he realised with a jolt that she couldn't see the sword; mortal eyes could see neither Eirias nor its scabbard when it was sheathed.  He looked at Bran, eyes wide.  Bran's mouth opened as he also suddenly realised the problem.

Will glanced at Merriman hoping for some help, but unnervingly found Merriman staring intently back at him.

Will sensed the panic rising within Jane as she searched in vain for the unseen sword.  She turned her head towards him, her worried expression stabbing at his stomach.  She closed her eyes again.  This time as she touched the ring, she thought once more of Bran on the beach.  He had shown them the sword, they had seen it glittering in the sunshine.  Then what?  Slowly the sequence re-played in her head.  Then…he had sheathed it…and it had vanished!

Will saw and felt her realisation and allowed himself the smallest of smiles.

_'OK,_' she thought,_ 'I can't see it, so where would it be?  Bran is a prince, son of a king, so it must be in a prominent place.'_

She looked up at the King's throne – it was the only chair without a sword above it.  She moved forward and stepped onto the platform, reaching up above the throne, feeling around the blank wall.  She noticed the ring was making her finger tingle and moved her hand a little higher.  Something was there, soft yet solid.  Using both hands now, she felt along the object she hoped was Bran's sword until she came to the ends of it, then lifted it up and off the wall.  Her right hand was tingling a lot as she carried the sword over to Bran; it felt very strange to be holding this invisible object that everyone else could see.

As she looked up, both Bran and Will were beaming at her.  "I knew you could do it," said Bran.  Will's relieved smile made her stomach leap.

Jane glanced at Merriman and thought she noticed the corner of his mouth twitch in a suppressed smile.  Wittan stood up again, but there was no emotion on his face.  

"Now you must prove your claim to the title Pendragon," said Wittan.  "Present the sword before us."

Bran took the sword from Jane and fastened the belt around his waist, allowing the scabbard to hang at his side.  Without a moment's hesitation, Bran drew the crystal sword with his right hand and in one graceful movement swung it upright in front of his face.  He touched his lips to the flat of the blade, then stretched his right arm out high as if holding a flaming torch.  Instantly the room was filled with a blazing light so dazzling that Jane and Will had to shield their eyes.  As the golden core of the crystal sword glowed white, Bran felt a new power flow through him, so strong he seemed to tremble all over.  The High Magic had come to full strength within him.

He lowered the sword down to his side and the glowing faded to a shimmer.  Wittan, Merriman and all the people of the Court stood up and bowed their heads in a moment of deference.

"We acknowledge you as the Pendragon and welcome you in the name of the High Law" said Wittan solemnly.  

"Thank you, my lord," answered Bran graciously.  He sheathed the sword and the members of the Court sat back down.

The power emanating from Bran was almost tangible to Will as his friend grinned broadly at him.  Bran turned to Jane and gave her a hug.  "Thanks Jenny" he said.

"Thank you for trusting me," she replied.  Over Bran's shoulder she saw Will watching them with a strange expression that was a mixture of relief, happiness and…something else…

Will dropped his gaze and busied himself with picking at a thread on the sleeve of his jacket.  A nervous confusion swam around inside him, but a movement to his right suddenly distracted his thoughts as Merriman stepped forwards into the middle of the room.


	11. The Gift of Love

Disclaimer:  All characters and plot elements from The Dark Is Rising sequence belong to Susan Cooper.  The rest is mine.

_A/N Sorry for the wait - I haven't had much time to myself the past week, so this has taken a bit longer than expected.  _

11. The Gift of Love

Will, Jane and Bran stood in the middle of the Court room facing Merriman, wondering what was going to happen next.  Merriman's inscrutable features regarded them sternly. 

From where he sat, Wittan said,  "Bran, you must now undertake the final challenge." 

Unexpectedly, Merriman took a step to his left and behind him they saw a wooden stand which hadn't been there before.  On top was a small bundle wrapped in a dark red silk cloth.  Merriman turned and undid the cloth revealing a circular piece of curved glass, like the lens of a large magnifying glass.  He looked very seriously at Bran and when he spoke his deep, powerful voice filled the whole room.

"This is called a Diviner's Eye, Bran.  Look into it and say what you can see." 

Bran moved forward to look.  Tiny sparks of light seemed to swirl around inside the glass, like a snow globe that had just been shaken.  As they gradually stilled, Bran could make out the image of something - the image of a person.

"Will, look," he said, "I can see someone."

Will too peered into the sparkling glass.  He saw Jane's face reflected back, which was strange because she seemed too far away.

"Who do you see?" Will asked, pushing away the thoughts that jumped into his mind.

"I can see a woman lying on a platform inside a stone building.  Her eyes are shut, but she's not sleeping.  I don't think she's dead either.  That's strange, it's like she's just resting."

"Who is she, Bran?" asked Merriman with a marked softening of his voice.

"I don't kn-- " He stopped, mouth open, looking totally stunned.  He looked at Merriman.  "What's happened to her?  What've you done?"

"Bran, who is it?" asked Jane.  Before he said it, Will knew.

"It's my mother." Bran's eyes were wide.

"She is caught out of time and can only be released by her true son," said Merriman.  "That is the final challenge, to prove your identity."  

Bran hardly seemed to hear these last words.  Fury bubbled inside him and his rage suddenly spilled out.  "Why have you done this to her?  Didn't she suffer enough when you made her give me up and leave me so far away in time and space?"

"It was done because she asked me to do it," Merriman said gravely.

"But why?"

Merriman sighed and seemed pained to go on. 

"After she left you, she tried to live a life of solitude and contemplation, afraid of what your father would do.  She used this glass to watch you as you began to grow in your quiet valley.  But it became too much to see you everyday and never be allowed any closer, to talk to you or touch you.  So she begged me to take her out of time until you came back to her.  I refused for a long, long while, until I could see that her heart was breaking in anguish.  Finally, I gave her what she wished for and she has been caught out of time, waiting for you ever since."

Will had never seen Merriman so moved as he remembered these events of long ago.

Hot tears prickled Bran's eyes as he looked back at the image in the glass.  "Where is she?  I want to go to her now!"

"She is in a chapel near the woods, not far from here.  But you must have a little patience.  The formalities of the Court—"  

"No!"  Bran's anger suddenly sparked back into life. "I've had enough of being patient. I've waited fifteen years to see her, I'm not waiting any longer."

He drew the crystal sword from the scabbard at his side.  It cut through the air with a menacing swish.  Wittan and several members of the Court stood up in alarm, but with a swift movement Bran swung the blade downwards and held the hilt in two hands.  He snapped his body upright and in the same instant vanished.

Will and Jane stood there, open-mouthed.

The rest of the astonished Court were on their feet and a loud, outraged murmur spread around the room.  Merriman, tight-lipped, his shadowy eyes blazing, held up his hand for silence.  He seemed about to pronounce some dreadful sentence upon Bran.

"Wait Merriman!" blurted out Will.  "Let Jane and I go after him, he'll listen to us and we'll bring him back."  Fearfully he looked up at the oldest Old One, desperately hoping Bran's impetuousness wouldn't mean the end for his friend.

The utter stillness that prevailed pressed in on Will; he hardly dared breathe.

After a moment that seemed to last a lifetime The Lady stepped forward and touched Merriman on the arm.  Her movement seemed to diffuse the tension in the chamber.

"Bran is so like his father at that age, don't you think Merriman?  Let us not be too hasty in passing judgement on him. "

Merriman glanced at her and his brow became less furrowed but he said nothing.  Swinging his cloak around him, he went to sit back down on his chair.

The Lady turned to Will with a gentle smile.  For a moment Jane saw a glazed, blank looked cross Will's face and guessed it was the silent communication of the Old Ones.  

"You know what to do, Will," said The Lady.  "There's no need to bring Bran back here, he's in the place he needs to be for the last test.  But remember, Bran must fulfill the challenge by himself. " 

Will nodded, looking relieved, then said, "Come on Jane.  We'd better find our renegade prince."   She smiled, feeling the weight of the situation lift.  

The Lady said to her, "Just put your fingers on the edge of the Diviner's Eye and look into the glass."

The two teenagers stood opposite each other, both feeling the smooth crystal beneath their fingers as they gazed at the sparkling lights.  Will let his eyes flick momentarily to Jane's face where he saw such an expression of calm, almost serene, concentration that he nearly forgot what he was doing.  

Clearing her thoughts, Jane focussed on the glass and gradually she felt as if her body was getting lighter while everything around became hazy.  The vision of the reclining woman steadily grew sharper and more solid.  Then, without quite knowing how, they were suddenly there in the chapel. 

Bran was kneeling on the floor next to a waist-high stone plinth.  Stretched out on it was a woman, neither old nor young, with long, black hair and skin almost as pale as Bran's. Her hands were clasped across her middle and she wore a long, plain green dress.  Around her was a faint shimmering light that gave her body a ghostly appearance.  They saw Eirias, the crystal sword, lying on the ground near Bran, like an abandoned child's toy.  He looked round, aware now of Will and Jane's presence.  His previously angry expression had been replaced by one of sadness and resignation.

"I suppose you've come to take me back to their worships," he said with a note of bitterness.

"No actually," said Will, "though you came very close to being fried on the spot by Merriman."

Bran's eyes widened and a hint of a smile appeared on his lips.  "Oh.  He wouldn't have dared though…would he?"

Will's expression suggested otherwise.  "Don't underestimate him Bran."

"Oh" said Bran again, standing up.  "So how did you stop him?"

"You must thank The Lady for that.  She's sent us here to tell you about the last test."

They all looked back at Bran's mother and Jane moved closer to where she lay.  

"She looks so peaceful, just as if she were sleeping.  She must've loved you so much, Bran, to trust that you'd return to her one day."

"What scares me is that I nearly didn't.  What if I'd never come back?  She might have been left like this forever."  

"That doesn't matter any more.  You're here now and you'll do your best to help her."  She put her hand briefly on his shoulder in a gesture of comfort.

Watching Jane, Will felt a jolt inside him.  He had been struck by the tenderness and wisdom of her words, and as he looked at her, he wished it was him not Bran that she had touched.  Suddenly he felt like he was seeing her for the first time and wondered why he hadn't noticed how pretty she'd become.  There was a gentle beauty in her clear blue eyes, and the way her hair fell across her cheek made him want to reach out and smooth it back.

Bran turned his head and caught Will staring mouth half-open at Jane.  Despite the other things on his mind, he couldn't help but smile.

"Ahem… Old One, are you going to tell me what The Lady had to say?"

Will started and shook his head.  "Erm…Oh yes."  He felt his cheeks redden.  "I'm supposed to tell you – _'The task is set in stone'. "_

"Oh not more riddles," said Bran rolling his eyes.

"I think you just have to look around a bit," said Jane, who had noticed something the other two hadn't.

Bran glanced back at the stone plinth his mother was resting on.  Along the side he saw something had been finely carved into the smooth, grey blocks.  He brushed some dust away and read out the words he found:

_For my one true son I wait in peace,_

_Till the gift of love brings my release._

Bran sighed.  "Well I'm her true son, but what's the gift of love? Should I give her a kiss?"

Will couldn't help laughing.  "This is not Sleeping Beauty, Bran.  Someone caught out of time would never feel that."

"What if I tell her I love her?"  _'Like someone should tell someone else' _he thought.

"No, it's got to be something only you as her son could do or give her.  It's Merriman's magic, so try to think what he would have done.  I'm sorry, I can't help you any more, you must do the rest on your own."  Merriman's words drifted back into Will's mind, _'If he is true to his father, he will be given the power'_ and he smiled because he suddenly knew where the answer lay.

Bran looked at him, baffled.  Jane nervously tucked her hair back behind her ear and Bran noticed again the ring with the blue-green stone.  Remembering he also had a Lightning Stone, he closed his eyes and touched the little pendant round his neck.  After a few seconds of whirling thoughts, he saw in his mind Owen Davies as they had parted at the lake.  He felt a sharp stab of pain at the memory, and wondered why he was thinking about it.    He glanced down at his mother again, then, more by instinct than by thought, he put his hand into his pocket and drew out the sprig of rosemary.

For a moment he looked at it blankly, but a smile spread slowly across his face as the solution dawned on him.  "Of course!  He wanted me to give it to you.  Thanks Da," he said with relief.

Bran gently tucked the rosemary between his mother's clasped fingers and said in his lilting Welsh accent: "The gift of love you left for me, I now give back to you."

Somewhere in the distance there was a ripple of bell-like music and Bran's mother opened her eyes.  The ghostly light around her disappeared and Bran gently touched her hand.

"My son, you are here," she said softly.  "I knew you would return to me one day."   Carefully he helped her to sit up.

Bran looked into her eyes.  "I have seen you so many times in my dreams.  I never thought I'd really be here by your side."

They embraced tenderly, until the sound of a door opening made them draw apart and look round.  Standing in the doorway, his sea-blue cloak swirling about his feet, was King Arthur, Bran's father.  He walked forward and knelt before the woman.

"My Lady Guinevere, how long I have waited for this moment."

He took her hand and kissed it gently, gazing up into her eyes.

"My lord, how can you forgive me after all the hurt I caused you?"

He shook his head slowly.  "The hurt has long since passed away.  Since then, since I learned what you had persuaded Merlion to do, I realised that I had lost the one person that I didn't want to live without.  Forgiving you came easily, but I have never been able to forgive myself for making you so afraid that you hid yourself and our son from me." He got up and held out his arm for his wife to lean on as she too shakily stood up.

Arthur turned to Bran with an expression of controlled delight.  "When you didn't come with me before, I thought I had lost everything.  But then I felt the stirring within the High Magic and hoped beyond hope that you might be given this second chance.  And now you are here and my Lady Guinevere is released, we can all be together as we should have been long ago."

Watching all this, Will caught Jane's eye and nodded towards the door.  They went out into the warmth of the sunshine.  

"I think we should leave them alone for a while," he said.  "Let's walk back towards the castle."


	12. Canu Telyn

Disclaimer:  All characters and plot elements from The Dark is Rising sequence belong to Susan Cooper.  The rest is mine.

12.  Canu Telyn    

_(Harp Song)_

Jane stood and looked out at the meadow before her, full of long grass and cornflowers waving in the breeze.  Behind her lay the little stone chapel, peacefully nestled in front of the old oak wood.  Before her, a little way in the distance, rose the great castle, shimmering like silver in the sunshine.  The meadow swept down an incline to her left and was bordered by a stream that meandered lazily towards the castle.  She breathed in the warmth of the day and, suddenly feeling as carefree as a child, she started to run down the bank that lead to the stream.  The grass swished as she brushed past the tall stems and she didn't stop until she was at the bottom of the small rise, near the water's edge.

Will sensed Jane's unhindered joy as he watched her moving through the sea of long grass.  He too felt as if all the anxieties of the day had at last been lifted off his shoulders.  As she arrived at the little brook, she turned and waved, smiling.

"Come on, Will," she called.

He began trotting down the bank.  Bending down, Jane let the water trickle softly over her fingers; the sound of the gurgling stream was like gentle laughter.  Will stopped a few feet from her, holding out a blue cornflower he had picked.  

"For m'lady," he said with a mock bow.  She stood up and took the flower with a coy smile.  She looked back at the meadow then up at the sky, a cloudless, intense blue.

"Will, this place it's…I can't describe it.  Everything is so fresh and vivid.  It feels like it's the first day of my life and I'm seeing the world for the first time."

Will gazed at her, smiling – he knew exactly what she meant.  There was a feeling that you could never tire of living here, there would always be something new to see or do or explore, even if you had seen it a thousand times before.  He opened his mouth to speak, but was caught by a wave of stronger, deeper emotion from Jane that he hadn't sensed before and he was suddenly aware of her true feelings for him.  He felt surprise, much pleasure and a great deal of uncertainty all at the same time – he wanted to say something but he couldn't get a single sentence or even two words to form coherently in his head.  He stared, mouth still open, and realised Jane was looking at him in a very peculiar way, but all he could do was nod and turn away.  

Will pretended to look back at the chapel, while out of Jane's sight an unstoppable, wide grin spread across his face.  He'd never felt like this before, even when he'd thought he'd been in love.  This was a very different feeling – new and strange, and yet natural and familiar.  Jane was a friend, they'd been through some extraordinary events together, maybe no other mortal understood about him as well as she did.  But in that thought also lay the problem – she was mortal.  He bit his lip, as the uncertainty flooded back.  What was he supposed to do?  Deny his feelings and act as if he didn't know hers or take a chance that their relationship could have a future?  Jane's voice cut into his thoughts.

"It's The Lady, Will!" she said in surprise and delight.  Will spun round.

Wearing an azure blue robe, the delicate but upright figure stood a little way off.  Jane was already hurrying over to her, so Will quickly followed.

The Lady regarded Will thoughtfully, undoubtedly sensing some of his confused feelings, but she didn't comment on it.  "Jane, Will, it's very good to see you,"  she said, her musical voice full of warmth.  "Are you going back to the castle?"  

"Yes, will you walk with us?" said Jane.  She had been hoping to talk to The Lady.  They turned and began to make their way along the edge of the meadow.

"You have both done well.  Bran will never forget your loyalty and support.  He and his parents can be at peace now, which is as it should be in Avalon.  Now tell me, are you enjoying your visit to our home?"

"Yes, it's such an amazing place" said Jane.  "I feel so…alive here. And I hope you don't mind me saying, you seem younger somehow."

"Ah Jane," she said smiling.  "This place is beyond time and never grows old.  Each person here becomes the person they were meant to be, whether young or old.  And because time has no hold here, everything is constantly being renewed."

Jane was silent with wonder, trying to grasp what The Lady meant.  

"Is Merriman still angry with Bran?" asked Will.

"No, he's wise enough not to hold on to such feelings," she replied lightly.  "We knew that Bran would come fully into his power in Avalon, but his use of it was a little…unexpected.  However, everyone is very glad that he has completed the testing and can remain here with us forever."

They continued to walk towards the castle, and as they drew closer to it they could hear the faint sounds of music and singing.  

The Lady said, "The celebrations have begun, I believe.  Go in through the small door over there and I will see you soon in the Great Hall.  I must speak with Merriman first."

Waving goodbye, they went in and followed the sounds to the Hall.  It was crowded with people dancing in groups to the tune of three fiddlers who were standing on a dais at the end of the lofty chamber.  They listened to the music for a minute, but both were reluctant to join in the dance, so they edged around the wall of the Hall, weaving past the merrymakers and found a staircase in the corner that led upwards.  Climbing the steps, they came out on to a gallery, which extended around three sides of the assembly room.  Few people were about up there, and they found a vantage point at the end of the Hall facing the musicians where they could watch the happy crowd whirling around below.

The dance came to an end and everyone clapped.  Suddenly a whisper started and the crowd began to move back to make a way through to the dais.  From below them, King Arthur strode into the Hall and went to stand on the platform.  There was no tiredness or strain in his face now, as Will had seen so often before, only a calm happiness, and he too seemed to look younger.

"My lords and ladies, today is a day for great celebration!  For a long time I have borne a great sadness in my heart, but now what was lost to me has been returned and this Isle of Avalon can once more rejoice.  See!  My Lady Guinevere and my son Bran Pendragon!"

Bran and his mother walked across the floor of the Hall towards the king.  The people bowed as they passed and then broke into applause and cheering.  Will and Jane had never seen Bran looking so happy as he stood between his parents, belonging at last.

The applause faded away and Arthur, Guinevere and Bran sat down on gilded chairs at the back of the platform as two other people stepped forward.  It was Gwion and Telyn.

"Look, he has the golden harp!" said Jane.

"Yes, that's Taliesin, Telyn's teacher.  Looks like he's going to play for us."

Gwion sat down on a narrow-backed chair in the middle of the dais with Telyn standing next to him.  Smiling, Gwion looked around at the people gathered, then noticed Will and Jane up in the gallery; his smile broadened at the sight of them together.  He gave them a slight nod, held the harp against his left arm and began to play.

Once more the power of the harp and the skill of the player wove their magic.  The notes were like liquid enchantment falling through the air.  There was stillness in the Hall soft as velvet, then Telyn began to sing.  Her voice was pure and beautiful, clear as crystal.  The song was in Welsh, but it didn't matter whether they understood the words or not.  The melody of the harp rippled up and down, spinning its spell like a web, whilst Telyn's voice soared high and sweet.  The song and music melted together in complete harmony, flowing around and through every person listening there.

Jane and Will were suddenly intensely aware of each other as they stood side by side at the balcony rail.  Their eyes remained fixed on the golden harp but both reached out to touch hands at the same time.  A pulse like electricity passed between them as their fingers entwined together.  They had no need for speech. 

_'Jane'_

_'Yes'_

_ 'I love you'_

_'I love you Will'_

Down on the platform, Bran felt a tingle near his throat and reached up to touch the pendant with the Lightning Stone.  He pulled his gaze away from Telyn and Gwion and, looking up at the gallery, saw Will and Jane kiss, softly and lightly, just once.  Afterwards, they just held each other very close, eyes closed, as the magical notes continued to pour from the harp.

* * *

When the performance had finished, the dancing began again.  Bran went out of the hall to find his friends.  As he hurried down the passageway, a door suddenly opened ahead of him – it was Jane and Will coming down a staircase.  They were holding hands and grinning all over their faces.

"Finally" said Bran, making them jump.

"Oh!" gasped Jane, "Sorry, we were just…"

"Upstairs," finished Will.  Their faces glowed red.

Bran burst out laughing at them.  "I meant finally you've got together.  I was beginning to think this Old One had got too old to make a move."

"Bran!" protested Will with acute embarrassment.

"Oh Bran, I'm so happy," said Jane.  "You're back with your parents and Will and I are together.  It all feels so right.  I love this place, I love the way it makes me feel.  I wish I could stay here for ever!"

"Jane, stop!" said Bran, nearly choking with laughter.  

"Leave her alone Bran," said Will, hitting him on the arm, though he too couldn't help chuckling.  "We're going outside for some fresh air – want to come?"

"Don't you two want to be by yourselves?" Bran said.

"I'm sure we'll have plenty of time later.  But I don't know when we'll see you again," said Jane, a serious note creeping back into her voice.

"Ok then.  I saw a courtyard garden that looked nice.  Come on, I'll show you."

They set off down the bright passageways, past the painted flowers and animals.  Turning down another corridor, a beautiful scene of a bluebell wood in full bloom greeted them – they felt they could almost step into the picture and gather armfuls of flowers.

"Here it is," said Bran, as they came to a row of small windows and a door.  He lead them out into an enclosed courtyard planted with a small rose garden.  The scent of the flowers filled the warm air and they sat down on the grass, soaking up the sunshine.

For a minute or two there was silence, then Jane asked, "Bran how did you just disappear from the Court room?"

Bran smiled wryly, remembering the scene.  "I'm not really sure.  I just knew I could do it and went."

"You have more power than you probably realise," said Will.  "But take care and let Merriman guide you, because the High Magic is very potent and you don't want to get into any more trouble."

Bran rolled his eyes.  "Relax, Will, you're always so serious about the High Magic.  Trust me, I won't do anything stupid." 

Will knew there wasn't much point in arguing further, and he didn't feel like it anyway.  He wanted to enjoy the rest of the time he had left in Avalon.

Bran lay back, a feeling of peace and contentment flowing through him.  He knew his purpose in his old life had been fulfilled and now he could enjoy this new life for which he'd always been destined.

Jane and Will sat close.  There was such a sense of oneness between them that they hardly needed any words, looks and smiles seemed to say everything.

The three of them chatted about all that had happened since they'd left the lake, which seemed a million miles away.  How much time passed, if any, none of them noticed.  Finally Bran stirred himself and went to see if he could find a drink.

He sauntered down the passageway, heading back towards the Great Hall.  Just as he was about to turn a corner, he heard familiar voices but something made him stop and listen out of sight.  The Lady and Merriman were talking.

"… Jane" said Merriman.

"Did you see them?"

"No, but I sensed it.  He never could hide much from me."

"Will you say anything to them?"

"I think we will let them have their moment.  But of course they will have to forget when they go back."

"Yes.  Still, it's not usual for an Old One and a mortal to be allowed…"

"I know, but he's still very young.  He'll learn."

"Merriman, just because of your bad experiences, don't think things can never work out."

Merriman didn't reply.

"Come, let's go back in. Arthur wanted to speak to you," said The Lady, and Bran heard them walking away.

Anxiously, he peered round the corner but there was no-one in sight.  He stood for a moment, trying to take in what he'd just heard, then turned and ran as fast as he could back to find his friends. 


	13. Watchman of the Light

Disclaimer: All characters and plot elements from The Dark is Rising belong to Susan Cooper.  The rest is mine.

_A/N I realise it's taking me longer to post these later chapters – apologies for keeping you waiting.  With Christmas activities looming, more of my spare time is being used up.  But I'm doing my best, so thanks for your patience and your reviews.  _

13.  Watchman of the Light

Bran threw himself through the courtyard door.  Will and Jane were still sitting side by side near the roses.  They looked up, startled at his sudden reappearance.

"Listen," said Bran breathlessly, his face very serious.  "I just overheard Merriman and The Lady talking – they're not going to let you remember anything when you go home."

"What?  Are you sure?"  Will stared in disbelief.

"Yes, I'm afraid so."

"But Will - they can't!  We've only just…"  Jane looked devastated.

 "I should have known they'd do this," he said with dismay.

"Can't you do anything, Will?" said Jane, close to tears.

"I…I don't know," he said, though he hardly grasped the question because of the shock.  The only thought in his mind was that he might lose Jane.  "I must speak to Merriman."  He got up, a completely dazed look on his face.  Jane stood up too.

"I'm coming with you.  Great Uncle Merry _has_ to listen."

The three of them hurried back through the door and headed towards the Great Hall.  Will's shock had rapidly turned into determination and on his way he reached out to Merriman with his mind: _'We need to talk – face to face.'  _He knew Merriman had heard him, though he didn't receive a reply.

They turned the final corner and found the Old One standing there, waiting, his face serious but calm.

"Merriman, I've got to--" began Will.

"Let's talk in here," Merriman said sharply, indicating a small room on their right.  "Bran, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to speak to these two alone."  

Bran looked at him stony-faced, trying to control his outrage, but nodded reluctantly.  "I'll wait here."

Jane and Will went into the room, followed by Merriman, who carefully closed the door.  He turned around, his expression unreadable except, Jane thought, for a slight sadness in his eyes.  Nervously the two of them faced him.

There was a tight knot in Will's stomach and he had to take a few deep breaths before he could begin.  "Merriman, we know you are planning to make us forget what's happened here when we go home.  We've come to ask you to change your mind."

Merriman remained silent.

"Please, Gumerry, why are you doing this?" said Jane desperately.

"There are good reasons, of which I am sure Will is aware, if he'd just think clearly for a minute."

Will stared fixedly straight ahead.  He didn't want to reach down inside himself and confront those sound logical reasons of which Merriman spoke.  In the last four years, he'd learnt to be so controlled, so measured in all his actions.  Couldn't he, this once, let his human feelings overrule his _sensibleness_ as an Old One?  Anyway, what rule of the Light said he mustn't feel this way?  He was conscious of Merriman's stern gaze.

"But Will and I love each other," continued Jane.

"I'm fully aware of that, Jane," Merriman replied coldly.  "That is why you must forget."

"How can you be so cruel?" she said, emotion running high in her voice.

"On the contrary, in the long-run you'll find I'm being kind and saving you both a lot of heartache.  A relationship between an Old One and a mortal can never last, you are too different.  You could never fully understand about Will and he could never give himself wholly to you because of what he is, Watchman of The Light."

Jane could hardly believe her ears, but something in Merriman's voice caught Will's attention and he sensed there was more to Merriman's words than just logic.  There was a deeper feeling, as if he spoke out of his own experience.

"Is that what happened to you?"  Will asked staring directly into the shadowy eyes.

Merriman looked at him fiercely, as if Will had touched a nerve, but then his expression softened a little.

"Something…similar.  I allowed myself to be distracted by love and let my guard down.  I paid a high price…"  It looked as if the memory still caused him great pain.  Will wondered what the real story was.

"But Gumerry, I would never hurt Will or get in the way of what he had to do."

Merriman sighed; there was compassion in his face, but he still shook his head.

"Please Merriman," Will pleaded.  "You have to let us have this chance of happiness together.  Maybe you're right, and it won't work, but just maybe Jane and I were really meant to be together.  How can you stand in the way of that?"

Merriman drew himself up to his full height, took a long breath and let it out slowly; his expression was once again fixed.

"Will Stanton, you are last born of the Old Ones, the last Watchman left to oversee matters of the Light in the mortal world.  No-one else can do the task that has been set for you.  You must be on your guard at all times.  If your attention were to become…diverted, and somehow the Dark regained a foothold, there would be nothing the Light could do to influence the situation before it was too late.  I'm sorry Will, your position is too important to let you risk everything for love."

Will felt completely numb.  He knew Merriman would never change his mind.  As he looked up at those shadowed hawk-like eyes one more time he felt betrayed by the coldness of the Light.  He looked away, but Merriman's hand touched his shoulder.

"Will, I'm sorry it has to be like this," he said with a gentler tone.  "But it's for the best that you both forget."  He moved away towards the door.  "I'll see you later, you must leave at sunset," he said and walked out.

Jane turned to face Will; her eyes glistened with tears, but she had a determined look. "You know, whatever happens, in my heart I'll always love you, Will Stanton."

He took her hand and kissed it, looking into her soft blue eyes. The tenderness he saw there was almost overwhelming.  "And I know I'll never love anyone but you, Jane Drew.  We were meant to be together, I know it, and one day we will be."

Bran came into the room, still scowling after Merriman.  He looked questioningly from Jane to Will.  Will shook his head.  "There's nothing we can do.  Merriman's made that very clear."

Instead of looking sad again, Bran's expression changed into something more mischievous.  "Maybe you can't do anything, but perhaps I can.  I've been thinking and I've got an idea.  I can't be Prince of the High Magic for nothing, can I? 

"Bran, don't do anything silly—" began Jane.

"It's alright, don't worry, Jane."  He turned to Will.  "Now, Old One, can you tell what I'm thinking?"

Will concentrated hard.  "No, I'm sorry Bran, the barrier is too strong."

"Good" said Bran.  "Do you think Merriman or The Lady could tell?"

"No…What are you planning?"

Bran just smiled and raised his eyebrows in a wait-and-see expression.

"Look, you two love-birds go and enjoy the rest of the time you have left.  I've got to go and find someone.  Oh, Jane, can I borrow your ring?"  With a puzzled look, she slipped it off her finger and handed it to him, then he turned and went off round the corner.

Will and Jane watched him go, both wondering what to expect next from their friend.

"Bran's right," said Will trying to shake off the depressed feeling that was threatening to overtake him.  "We should enjoy whatever time we've got left.  Let's get out of here and go for a walk."  For some reason he still couldn't take it in, couldn't believe that he would forget his love for Jane just with one word from Merriman.  He himself had used memory spells many times before, but had never expected one to be used on him.  The prospect was not pleasant and he understood now why Jane had almost begged him to let her remember.

They made their way through the castle and decided to go out round the front where the sea lapped against the little beach by the jetty.  The sky was still a clear, bright blue, and the cool breeze and the sight of the swaying grey-green ocean lifted their spirits.  They walked hand in hand across the fine sand and stood looking out at the shifting waters. 

"The sound of the sea reminds me a bit of being at Trewissick," said Jane.

"Yes," Will said pensively. He turned to look at her. "You know, that's when I first fell in love with you.  I didn't realise it until today, but I've loved you from the moment we met."  

She smiled up at him.  "Really?  I remember being struck by how ordinary you looked and yet underneath you were so different.  What a strange holiday that was."  She reached up and brushed his cheek with the back of her hand.  "I think it was when I saw you again, when we met on the side of that mountain in Wales. That's when I really began to feel something.  I know I was cross at first that Bran was there – he always seemed to get in the way when I wanted to talk to you by myself."

"I think I probably sensed some of your feelings, but at the time, the quest for the sword and the approaching battle were the most important things – everything else had to take a distant second place."

"So perhaps Gumerry was right…I would just be a distraction."

"No!" he replied with a fierceness that reminded Jane of Merriman.  "Don't ever say that, Jane.  The battles are finished.  I know what my role is now and there is no reason why I can't have you at my side while I carry out that task."

"I wish we didn't have to leave here," she said.

"So do I."

They kissed and held each other tight, never wanting to let go.

After a while they walked further along the shoreline, not knowing or caring where they were going, just wanting to be together.  Finding an outcrop of rocks, they sat down and watched a group of seagulls soaring on the ocean breeze, now and again dipping down to the surface of the water in hope of snatching up an unwary fish.  The sight brought a question into Jane's mind.

"You know when we got the harp, Will, how did we leave our bodies and dive into the lake – was that real?"

Will wasn't sure how to answer such a direct question.  Explaining his abilities and the magic used by an Old One was complicated.   After a moment he replied, "Yes and no.  Here, let me show you."  He took her hands and placed them palms down touching his palms.

"Look at the seagulls," he said gently.  "See how they glide and dive and rise again on the warm currents of air.  Imagine you're up there with them…"  

Jane looked.  Will said another word in the Old Speech and suddenly they both _were_ there, flying with the white-feathered gulls, hearing their squawking cries, feeling the wind rushing fiercely past their faces.  Jane felt a freedom she could never have imagined, even in dreams.  Then they were back sitting on the rocks again, facing each other, fixed to the ground once more.

"Oh…" was all she could say.

"I wish I could show you more," said Will.  "The places we could go…"

She looked into his blue-grey eyes feeling she was only now beginning to see some of the hidden depths of his character.  She desperately wanted to know more, but realised she might never get the chance.  She gazed at him, drinking in his image, trying to burn it into her mind so she could never forget it.

The sun was reddening the sky now, beginning to go down, which was strange as they had really felt no sense of time passing.  Suddenly Will heard Merriman speaking into his mind: _'It's nearly time to go Will.'  _

Reluctantly they left their peaceful haven and began to make their way back to the castle.


	14. Prince of the High Magic

Disclaimer:  All characters and plot elements from The Dark is Rising Sequence belong to Susan Cooper.  The legend of Merlin probably belongs to everyone and the rest is mine.

_A/N Hope any Arthurian purists will forgive my twist on the bit of legend I use.  Call it artistic licence – Susan Cooper certainly wasn't above using quite a lot of it!_

14. Prince of the High Magic

Bran left Will and Jane and hurried back towards the Hall.  On his way he glanced through a door and saw his mother in a room on the other side of the passageway.  She was standing alone, staring out of the window at the cloudless sky.

"My lady, are you alright," said Bran going in.

She turned and smiled.  "Yes, the Hall was a little crowded for me.  But come now Bran, there's no need to be so formal, I am your mother after all."

He smiled back at her.  "Of course, I'm sorry.  It's all a bit strange.  It was just me and Da for so long."

"Bran…You know I never meant to hurt Owen Davies.  He was very kind to me and I will always be grateful for what he did.  I wish I could thank him for that." 

Bran hesitated then said, "He wanted you to know that he always loved you and has never forgotten you." 

A look of regret crossed her face and she closed her eyes for a moment.

There was silence; then his mother smiled saying, "Let's not dwell too long on the past, we have so much to look forward to, you, your father and I.  Now we'd better go back to the Hall or we'll miss the rest of the celebrations."

"Actually…can I ask you something first?"  He paused, trying to find the right words.  "If I'm Prince of the High Magic, can I stop Merriman from making Will and Jane forget about things that have happened here when they go back?"

"Bran, it's not wise to interfere in the affairs of the Old Ones."

"But Will and Jane only just realised they love each other and it's taken them so long to get this far.  When they go home it will all be taken away.  You and my father were separated for all that time and now you're back together again.  You wouldn't want that for Will and Jane, would you?"

His mother regarded him seriously for a minute, as if weighing something up.  "I shouldn't really tell you this, but there is a way to help your friends.  It could be dangerous for them though and it will only work if they were truly meant to be together.  You see, Bran, love has a power all its own.  Real love will always be stronger than the Old Magic, the High Magic or the Wild Magic.  If it's true and enduring it can break through the greatest of enchantments.  Otherwise you could never have released me today."

Her words gave him new hope.  "So what can I do?"

"Well, you need something that will protect their memories through the gateway of the High Magic."

"I've got the Lightning Stones, will they work?"  He showed her the pendant and ring.

"They will help, but you'll need something else as well to make a remembrance charm."  She unpinned the sprig of rosemary Bran had given her which had been fastened to her dress by a little gold brooch.  "Here, take this.  I think there is still enough magic left in it to work.  You can thank Merlion for that."

Bran pulled a face, then grinned at her and took the rosemary.

"Take them to Gwion, he was going to his music room.  He can help you make the charm," she said.

"Thanks," said Bran and put the things in his pocket.  

She smiled at him. "You're a good friend, Bran.  I'm glad to have you as my son."

A sound from the door made them both start and turn round.

"Excuse me, my lady, the king was wondering where you were."  It was Merriman.  He looked at them curiously.

"I will be there in a moment, Merlion," said Guinevere.

"Any idea where Will and Jane are?" Bran asked, desperately hoping Merriman hadn't seen anything.

"They are walking by the beach. I think you'd best leave them alone for now."  Merriman's eyes showed no sign of emotion.  "They will be leaving before long."

"Oh right, OK," said Bran, very glad Merriman couldn't keep tabs on him like he obviously could on Will.

The Old One turned and walked out.  Bran sighed.  "I hope this will work."

* * *

Gwion looked up from his desk and smiled in welcome as Bran entered the music room.

"It's a pleasure to see you, Bran Pendragon.  Have you come for harp lessons already?"

Bran laughed.  "Not yet, but maybe soon."  He marvelled as he saw a magnificent full-sized harp in the middle of the airy room.  Many other instruments on stands were spread out all around, some familiar, others that Bran had never seen before.  "I need your help with something actually."

He explained about Will and Jane, and about his mother's suggestion to make a remembrance charm.  He took the Lightning Stones and rosemary from his pocket.

"I have the things I need, but I don't know what to do with them."

"I see," said Gwion.  He looked more serious.  "I can indeed help you, but there are two important things that you must consider before you do this. Firstly, this type of remembrance charm is a very powerful spell.  If anything goes wrong, it can have terrible consequences for the person affected.  Be sure you are doing the right thing.  If you have any doubts about the strength of their love, I must warn you not to go ahead."

Bran thought for a while.  He remembered seeing the despair on his friends' faces when he'd told them what Merriman had said.  "I've got to do it, it's their only hope," he said determinedly.

"Very well.  But secondly, do you know why Merriman doesn't want them to be together?"

_'Because he's a controlling spoilsport who hates seeing other people happy' _was what Bran thought.  However, he just shrugged at Gwion and said, "I don't really know."

"Sit down then and let me tell you one of the tales from former times," said Gwion mysteriously.

With a look of curiosity, Bran got a stool from near the wall, put it by Gwion's desk and sat waiting, feeling like a child at storytime.

Gwion stood up and walked about the room, as if inspecting all the musical instruments.  Bran felt impatient and was just about to say something when the little grey-bearded man stopped in the middle of the room, bowed to Bran and began his story.

"A long way back in time, when there was peace and prosperity, before the Dark ever came to the land of Britain, a young_ dewin,_ a wizard,called Myrddin met a beautiful mortal girl and they fell in love.  Their love was so great, it became celebrated throughout the land as a model of what true love should be."

"What was her name?" interrupted Bran.

"Her name?  Like Myrddin himself, she has been given many different names over the years.  I think only Myrddin ever knew her true name, but let us call her Niniane.  Well, they shared everything and Myrddin began to teach her about his magic.  She became his pupil and learned everything that the wizard could show her.  But, as we all know, having a little power leads to a desire for more and Niniane began to crave the higher power that she knew Myrddin possessed.

"In time, Niniane's desire became an obsession and overtook her love for him.  So she thought of a way to trick her teacher into giving her the power she so desperately wanted.  Niniane suggested, as the ultimate test of all she had learned, that she should try to freeze Myrddin in time.  He was so besotted with her that it didn't take much persuasion before he agreed.  However, magic being so ingrained in the wizard, so much a part of who he was, the feat could not ordinarily be accomplished.  He had to transfer, temporarily of course, all his vast, hidden powers to Niniane and make himself weak and defenceless.  Inevitably, once he was held in time, unable to do anything to stop her, she left him there and used what she had stolen for her own means."

Gwion seemed to stop there.  Bran looked at him in dismay, spellbound by the story.

"But what happened?  How did Myrddin escape?"  he asked.

Taliesin the storyteller smiled, loving as always to keep his listeners wanting more.  He turned away and ran his hand over the strings of the large harp next to him.

"Gwion!  Tell me what happened!" demanded Bran, itching to know more.

The resonant sound of the harp strings faded away and Gwion looked back at Bran, his face still creased into laughter lines.  He resumed his story.

"Well, it seemed that Myrddin had vanished from the world and no-one knew where he had gone.  Only one person was able to find him."

"My father?" guessed Bran.

"No, this was long before your father's time.  No, the only one with power to rival that of the oldest Old One was The Lady.  Eventually she found what had happened to him, but was unable to break the spell by herself."

"Couldn't she make Niniane free him?"

"Sadly, by then Niniane had become so engulfed by the power she now possessed that all goodness in her had been extinguished.  She would no more have freed Myrddin than sleep in a bed full of poisonous spiders."

Bran spluttered, half laughing, half gasping.  Gwion paused a second, waiting for his audience to recover.

"At this time, there were few other Old Ones on earth.  The only thing The Lady could do was wait; wait until enough Old Ones had been born and come into their power, so together they could break the enchantment holding Myrddin."

"But that must have taken...years" said Bran, wide-eyed.

"Centuries," said Gwion, slowly and dramatically.  "During which time the Dark was able to gain a firm grip throughout the world of men."

He moved back to the desk and sat down.  Bran wasn't sure if he was going to continue.

"So how did Merriman get his power back?"

"Ah…yes," sighed Gwion.  "I'm afraid this story does not have a happy ending.  The only way our Master Merriman could recover his powers was to confront Niniane and destroy her."

Bran's jaw dropped.  "What, Merriman…killed her?" 

"No-one but Myrddin knows exactly what he did – he has never spoken of it.  The Light urgently needed him to help drive back the Dark that had become so strong in his absence.  So, for the Light, he destroyed the woman he loved."

Bran just stared, speechless, trying to comprehend the story and also becoming aware of its implications for Will and Jane.

"So you see," said Gwion, "that is why Merriman is so concerned to keep Will out of danger."

For a long while there was silence as Bran sat thinking, and Gwion didn't interrupt him.  The cautionary tale of Merriman's disastrous love affair at first made him sure he shouldn't try to intervene in the Old One's plans.  But as the story sunk further into his conscious and subconscious mind, a different feeling came to him.  He recognised it as the instinct of the High Magic, bringing to him reassurance and a new certainty that Will and Jane's destiny lay together.

He looked up at Gwion who had been regarding him steadily.

"Thank you for telling me," he said, straightening his back.  "It explains a lot.  Do you think Will knows all this?"

"Hmm.  I'd imagine not.  Lord Myrddin doesn't talk about it much, though perhaps he should."

"Gwion, I still think that letting them remember is the right thing to do.  Will you give me your help?"

"I will, if you're entirely sure."

Bran nodded.

"Let's see then," said Gwion.  He took a pen and paper from his desk and wrote some lines on it.  "Here is the spell you must use."   He handed the paper to Bran.  "Can you sing?"

"Sing! Do I have to?" Bran said with a grimace.

"Well, it would help," said Gwion smiling at his dismayed expression.

Bran groaned.  "OK, I'll do it for Will and Jane."

"Thread the rosemary through the ring and the pendant then twist the ends together.  I'll play something to help you, but it's up to you to do the magic, young prince.  Just look inside yourself, the power is there."

From a case on a nearby shelf, Gwion took down a small silver flute. He first tested his fingers on the keys, then put the instrument to his pursed lips and began to play a simple tune.  Bran assembled the leaves and stones as he'd been told and looked at the verse that Gwion had written.  He felt self-conscious and apprehensive.  The music caught his attention, soaring high and plaintive, and suddenly it seemed to wash over him like a waterfall and he closed his eyes for a second. A picture came into his mind of Will and Jane as he'd seen them a little while ago – grinning stupidly but so happily in love.  He smiled to himself and, as he began to relax, felt the power of the High Magic spreading through him once more.  

Gwion began to elaborate and fill out the melody and, with a strange new sense of joy welling inside him, Bran opened his mouth and started to sing.  The sound that came out was nothing like he'd expected; his voice was strong, clear and resonant.  He half wondered if it was really him singing.

"_Across the bounds of space and time,_

_From one world to another,_

_If love is true within your hearts_

_These memories you'll recover."_

The words seemed to echo and blend with the music, reverberating around the room until they formed one harmonious sound.  The music ceased and Bran stood motionless, caught up in the intensity of the moment.

"Well, you really are Prince of the High Magic, Bran Pendragon," said Gwion with a smile and slight bow.

"Wow," said Bran, letting out a long breath.  He felt so peaceful and yet at the same time absolutely buzzing with energy.

"And now, I think you'd better get back to your friends," said Gwion.  "The time to go is very near."

There was a knock at the door and, as they looked round, Telyn came in.  As she saw Bran her eyes widened and she blushed.

"Oh, please excuse me, my lords, I didn't realise…" she said with some embarrassment, retreating to the doorway.

"It's fine," said Gwion.  "Come in, Bran was just leaving."

Bran smiled at Telyn and held the door for her.  "I'll see you later," he called to Gwion.  "We can talk about those harp lessons!"


	15. Lightning Stones

Disclaimer: All characters and plot elements from The Dark is Rising Sequence belong to Susan Cooper.  The rest is mine.

_A/N Well, here's the last chapter.  Hope my first efforts at writing have been worthwhile. Thank you for reading and a huge thank you if you have reviewed.   If you have any comments you don't want to put in a review, please email me: ariene@fsmail.net   Cheers!_

15.  Lightning Stones

Jane and Will had slowly made their way from the seashore back into the castle.  Time hadn't stopped as they'd wished it would.  The dreadful, unavoidable point was fast approaching when they would have to leave Avalon, this wonderful place where dreams had come true for them and for Bran.  But the dread was not in the leaving, it was in what was to come afterwards – obliteration of memories and enforced separation.

Now they stood in the vast entrance hall of the castle by the ornate wooden doors they had seen from the outside when they first arrived.  Their hands were held tightly together and they didn't care who saw.  The vivid colours and shimmering gold embroidery of the flags that hung from three of the walls contrasted sharply with the grey, sombre mood of the group gathered below.  They had said a polite goodbye to The Lady and Merriman.  The former had smiled and wished them well, and they could see from her eyes that she meant every word.  Merriman had nodded in acknowledgement of them, but had not spoken.  Will kept his mind firmly closed to his former master.

Standing nearby were Arthur, Guinevere and Bran.  They looked solemn, yet they all seem to radiate a strange sense of hopefulness, as if they knew the sadness the two young people were facing would soon pass and things would be better.

"Thank you for bringing our son back to us," said Arthur to them both.  "You can be proud of yourselves."

Will tried to pull himself together.  He didn't feel very proud, he felt like someone whose hopes were about to be completely dashed and there was nothing he could do. "Thank you, Sire," he somehow struggled to say.

Bran took a step forward and said to the assembled adults.  "If I may, I'd like to say goodbye to my friends privately."  Will thought he could see that mischievous glint in his eyes again.

"Of course," said his mother with a gracious smile.  She took her husband's arm and they went through a doorway to the left.  The Lady also turned and proceeded out the same door.  Merriman, however, stayed but at Bran's disdainful look, he retreated to the far side of the entrance hall.

"Come on, cheer up you two.  At least Merriman's not going to 'fry' you," said Bran.  Will shot him a look and didn't smile back.  "OK, sorry, not the time for jokes."  

"Have you got the Lightning Stones?" asked Will.  "Jane will need hers to get back through the gateway."

"Oh yeah, here they are," said Bran reaching into his pocket.  Lowering his voice he continued.  "I'm not sure if this will work, but I've done my best."  He gave the ring back to Jane and handed Will the pendant.  "Put them on.  When you get back, if all is well, you'll remember."

"How do they work?" asked Will putting the chain round his neck.

"Er…not sure really.  You'll figure it out.  You're the _dewin_ after all."   Will glared at him again, but this time the look dissolved into nearly a smile.

"Thanks for doing this Bran, without you we'd have no hope," Jane said.  "But what did you mean '_if all is well'_…?" 

"Look, don't worry, you'll be fine," Bran said, trying to sound more confident than he felt.  Jane still looked anxious.  With a sideways glance at Will he said to her  "Now don't you let him boss you about, Jenny-O."

She managed half a smile and nodded bravely, though a rogue tear had somehow escaped and was rolling rapidly down her cheek.

"And you look after her, Old One," he said to Will.

"Yeah, I will.  Thanks Bran.  Be seeing you."  Will's voice was thick and he could hardly speak.

"Yeah.  Thanks for all you've done for me, both of you."

"It's sunset, Will, time to go," came Merriman's booming voice from the other side of the hall.  He walked across the stone floor to the great doors, reached up to the handle and pulled on the metal ring.  Without a sound the door opened a little way, and they heard the distant chime of some bell-like music which faded away even before they were fully aware of it.  Through the gap they could see only darkness.

Will and Jane looked at each other and joined hands once more.

"Bye, Bran" said Jane, her voice shaking.  Will led her through the doorway and they were gone.

Bran watched Merriman close the door and lean heavily against it for a moment, head bowed.  He thought he heard Merriman sigh and then say something, though his voice seemed strained and Bran couldn't understand what he said.  The old man turned and without even looking at Bran, he left.

* * *

The warm air held the scent of lavender as two figures stepped out of the mirror into the gathering dusk.  They let go hands and stood for a few moments looking about.

"Well I hope the High Magic enjoys having its harp back," said Will.  "Thank you for helping me."

"Any time," Jane smiled.  "I'd better head back to the station, I told Mum I wouldn't be too late."

"Right and I'll have to go…er…home.  That's strange, I couldn't think where I was meant to be."

"Come on Old One, you're not that old," laughed Jane.  Something in the phrase made Will stare at her for a second, but he shook off the feeling and they walked away through the castle gardens.

Outside the castle, they said a friendly goodbye. 

"Enjoy the rest of your summer," said Jane.

"And you," replied Will.  "Good luck with your exams next year."

"Thanks.  Well…see you sometime.  Bye."  Jane walked off along the High Street towards the station.  

"Bye," called Will, and a strange emptiness suddenly came over him as he watched her go. He turned and went in the other direction but couldn't bring himself to return home yet.  Most people had left the city centre now and he wandered aimlessly along the shopping precinct, gazing into the bright shop windows.  His senses as an Old One seemed oddly dull, like he was buried under a thick blanket unable to see or hear anything.  He couldn't understand why he felt this way.

Night was falling rapidly and Will pulled his jacket closer around him.  He felt chilled, though the air was still warm on his skin.  He looked in a department store window and caught his ghostly reflection in the glass.  Something glinted on his neck and he put one hand up to touch it, his reflection copying him.  It was the chain with the pendant he'd made out of that blue-green stone from the Lost Land.  He took it off and was going to put it in his pocket, when he noticed a small spiky leaf caught between the gold wire and the stone.  He rubbed at the stone, trying to dislodge the leaf.

Then everything changed.

Without warning, something like a tornado hit his brain sending him reeling.  He fell sideways against the glass, clutching his head in his hands.  Images and thoughts and feelings all rushed into his mind, like a huge wave crashing on a beach in a storm.  They were completely mixed up and disjointed and he could make no sense of them.  Faster and faster they came, and just when he thought his head would explode, the whirling slowed, leaving him breathless and queasy.  He let his body slide down the glass to sit on the dusty ground, eyes wide with shock.  

As he sat there, the memories resurfaced like bubbles in a fizzy drink – going to Avalon, the harp, Bran! How could he have forgotten Bran?! Seeing Arthur and Guinevere, Gwion…The images and feelings churned inside him, but one image, one feeling above all came clear into his mind – Jane.  He loved Jane.

He tried to calm his mind and reach out to her with his thoughts.  _'Jane.'  _Nothing.  _'Jane where are you?'_  Still nothing.  He had a horrible sinking feeling.  _'Merriman's done a good job this time,'_ he thought.

Putting the gold chain back on, he got up from the ground and began to run in the direction of the station.

***

Jane walked down the High Street wondering if her mother would be worrying that she wasn't home yet.  The next train wasn't due for twenty minutes, so she went into a newsagents and looked at the magazines, trying to decided if it was worth buying one to read on the train home.  In the end, she just bought a bar of chocolate.  Back out in the night, she passed the entrance to the little square and saw the bookshop, dark in the corner.  Something made her stop and turn back, a very curious feeling that made no sense at all and seemed to have no reason to it.  She walked slowly into the square and sat down on the bench under a tree.

There was no-one about and she knew she shouldn't stay there alone, but at the same time she was very reluctant to go.  Suddenly she felt her finger tingle and looked down at her hand.  There was the ring Will had given her with the blue-green stone.  She touched it lightly with her finger and found that somehow the stone seemed to be buzzing, as if it had electric current running through it.

All at once she had an even stranger feeling that _something_ was pushing at her mind, trying to get in.  She didn't know what to do; she stood up and shook her head, but the feeling was still there.  She decided she should just go to the station and took a few steps forward.  Beyond the square, in the distance but getting nearer, she could hear footsteps, someone running, coming closer and closer.  The _something_ kept pressing in on her mind.  She winced, trying to push it back.  The running footsteps were very near now, then she saw someone dash past the entrance to the square.  Without knowing why, she yelled "WILL!"

Will stopped dead in his tracks and scanned around trying to find who had called him.  He couldn't see anyone and his senses still picked up nothing.  He back-tracked and saw the way in to the square.  In the distance, in the shadows, was a figure, a girl – Jane!  He broke into a run again and was a few metres away from her when she shouted:

"No, don't come near me!"

***

_Jane felt that chaos had come.  Nothing made sense any more.  Inside her head was a rumble like thunder and the sound of voices babbling in one awful cacophony. She put her hands over her ears, but the noise just got louder.  The sky seemed so dark and was pressing down, down on her until she felt she would be crushed like an ant.  Maybe the Dark was taking her over she thought.  Then a boy was standing in front of her and she tried to get away.  He was shouting at her but she couldn't hear.  He grabbed her wrist and she screamed, unable to pull free.  There was a blinding flash -- then blackness._

Will shouted, "Jane, it's Will!  Jane!  Jane!"  She was staring at him wildly and trying to back away.  What was wrong with her?  Suddenly a cold fear swept Will's being and a sick feeling came into his mouth as he realised what was happening.  Bran's remembrance charm of the High Magic was trying to counteract the memory block used by Merriman, and Will imagined the Old One had used the strongest form of spell he possibly could.  Spells of two different but equally powerful forces were clashing inside the mortal mind of Jane.  The conflict put her mind in great danger - irreparable damage could be done and he was not even sure she could survive it. He had to do something – _quickly._

Will's reaction was pure instinct.  He grabbed Jane's wrist and she screamed at him, but grasping the pendant in his other hand, he forced the two Lightning Stones together.  As they touched, there was a blinding flash.  He was thrown backwards and he saw Jane collapse to the ground.

Her body lay completely still and for a second Will could do nothing but stare, horrified, wondering what he had done.  He crawled over to her, his breath coming in gasps, and with hands trembling he lifted her head.  She didn't move.  He couldn't even tell if she was breathing.  Fear seemed to paralyse his brain and he sat there just holding her.

***

Jane opened her eyes.  Will was kneeling next to her on the ground.

"Jane, thank God, I thought you were dead."  Will's face was creased with anxiety.

She groaned.  Her head ached and her body felt so racked with pain she thought she must have been struck by lightning.  She put a hand over her eyes to shield them from the glare of the street lights.  "Will," she said weakly, reaching out her other hand to him.

"It's OK, I'm here," he said softly.  "Can you sit up?"

Gingerly she lifted her head.  Pain shot across her forehead, but stubbornly she kept moving.  Once sitting, she put her head in her hands, resting against her knees. The world was spinning and her stomach turned over with the dizziness.  She took deep breaths, determined not to be sick.  Gradually the nausea passed and the throbbing in her head eased.  

Will smoothed back her hair, his face still anxious. "Are you alright?" he asked.  Even in the darkness she looked very pale.

 "I'm not sure," she said shakily.  "What happened?" 

"The spells, Merriman's and Bran's, they were too--" He stopped, seeing a look of incomprehension on her face.  

"Sorry, what do you mean?  Who are you talking about?" said Jane, wincing as she moved her head.

Then it dawned on him.  She didn't remember.  He couldn't believe it.  No…this couldn't be happening - but it was.  _She didn't remember._  He shivered, suddenly feeling deeply cold again. His hopes were slipping away like water through his fingers. They'd come through all this for nothing.  Only it was worse now – _he _knew he loved her, but _she_ didn't remember a thing.  

" Jane, do you…I mean…" For some reason, the words in his brain weren't reaching his mouth.

She looked up at him.  "What is it, Will?" she asked, rubbing her forehead.

He held her gaze for a moment, then shook his head.  "It doesn't matter."  He knew Merriman had won and he was back where he'd started, a lone watchman in the world of men, though now he truly was alone.  "D'you think you can stand?  We'd better get you home."  He swung himself onto his feet.

"Just give me a minute."  

He watched her, feeling a helpless, pointless rage.  But there was no-one to rage against, and he let his anger ebb away into dull resignation.

Jane put her head back on her knees and clasped her hands together in front.  Dreadful images were still swirling around in her mind, as if she'd woken from a terrible nightmare.  Her fingers moved over the engraved metal of the ring and then felt the smooth but irregular shape of the stone.  She lifted her head.  "Will – something happened earlier…the ring was buzzing and…I don't know, were we near the sea?"

His head shot up and he stared at her intently, his heart pounding in his throat.  "What?  B-but that means…" Suddenly he seemed very nervous.  "Jane…can I look into your mind?"

She looked puzzled.  "OK," she said slowly.

He knelt down and shut his eyes.  He reached into her mind and saw the jumble of images, like tiny pieces of a massive jigsaw.  But as he concentrated, he could make out flashes, minute glimpses of the things they'd experienced during their time in Avalon.  There was Telyn's dress, Bran's white hair, a taste of apple juice, a blue cornflower, a snatch of harp music.  He knew then for certain that the memories were not lost, it was all there.  He opened his eyes, nearly bursting with joy, but holding back because there was one more thing to be done.

"Jane, do you trust me?" he said.

"Yes, of course, Will.  Why are you being so mysterious?"

"There is a block on your memory, preventing you knowing where we have just been and what happened there.  I can release it, but it means touching these two Lightning Stones together again, which is what I did before you blacked out.  I don't know what reaction it will cause for you, but it's the only way to let you remember.  Do you want me to do it?"

Her already fragile emotions were sent spinning again by what he said.  She looked at him, then looked away, her eyes trying to penetrate the dark corners of the square, as if anything there would advise her what to do.  She didn't want to go through the last ten minutes again, but she definitely wanted her memories back.  With more than a little trepidation she said, "Alright, if it's the only way, you can do it."

He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.  "Right.  I think we'd better stand up."  He looked as tense as she felt.  He helped her to her feet, though she still felt a little woozy.  He lifted her hand and she held her fingers straight.  She felt the ring begin to buzz as the stone drew closer to its twin in the pendant.  Will noticed her hand tremble slightly and paused, but she nodded firmly and he pressed the stones together.

There was another flash of blinding light as the High Magic spell rushed through them like a gale.  There was no sound, but Jane felt again a great pressure passing through her mind as if her brain was a balloon being squeezed.  Involuntarily she cried out, but instantly the feeling was gone and she was standing with Will, clear pictures of a silver castle, bright flags and a shining sword swirling through her mind.

"Oh!  Will, we were at Avalon!" she said in astonishment.

He reached out and gently smoothed the hair back from her face.  "Yes," he said smiling.  "Do you remember anything else?"  He was almost scared to hear the answer.

She looked into his glittering eyes and saw there such love and longing and hope, and suddenly all her feelings came flooding back.

A smile spread across her face.  "I remember," she said.  "I love you Will."

The relief Will felt was indescribable.  "I really thought I'd lost you," he said letting out the breath he'd been holding.  "Nothing's ever going to keep us apart again."

They kissed, a long passionate kiss of new-found love. He held her close and she felt his strong, safe arms around her.

"But what about Merriman?" she asked, remembering suddenly that it had been him who had tried to make them to forget.

"He can't do anything now we're back here.  I know I'll have to face him sometime, but I'm not going to think about that yet.  Right now, I just want to be with you."

She turned her face up to his again.  "I knew Bran could do it," she said.

Will looked up into the night sky, where the first stars were shining above the dark silhouettes of the buildings.  "Thanks Bran," he said softly.

They kissed again in the darkness of the square.  And somewhere in another part of time and space a Prince with tawny eyes said goodnight to his mother and father for the first time.

*** THE END ***

The Lightning Stones ©Ariene

Completed 27th November 2002


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